Disney’s unstoppable soundtrack to “Frozen” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, collecting its fifth nonconsecutive week atop the list.
“Frozen” has now earned the most weeks at No. 1 for a soundtrack since “Titanic” racked up 16 straight weeks at No. 1 in 1998. It ruled the list on the charts dated Jan. 24 through May 9 that year.
This week’s Billboard 200 reflects the tracking week ending Feb. 23, where the “Frozen” album sold 89,000 copies (down 11%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. A week ago, it was No. 2 with 100,000. Last week’s No. 1 album, Eric Church’s “The Outsiders,” falls to No. 2 in its second week with 74,000 (down 74%).
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Since the Billboard 200 began using SoundScan sales data on May 25, 1991, only five soundtracks have spent at least five weeks at No. 1: “Frozen,” “Titanic,” “Waiting to Exhale” (five weeks in 1996), “The Lion King” (10 weeks in 1994 and 1995) and “The Bodyguard” (20 weeks in 1992 and 1993). (The last film soundtrack to net four weeks at No. 1 was “Bad Boys II” in 2003.)
The all-time champ for the most weeks at No. 1 for a soundtrack in the history of the Billboard 200 is “West Side Story,” with 54 weeks at No. 1 in 1962 and 1963. (It also owns the record for the most weeks at No. 1 for any album.)
The “Frozen” soundtrack is currently in its 13th week on the Billboard 200, and has spent the last eight straight weeks lodged in one of the top two positions. The last album to spend more time within the top two rungs was Taylor Swift’s “Red,” which notched 10 weeks in the region between Nov. 10, 2012, and Jan. 12, 2013.
Country singer Cole Swindell owns this week’s highest new entry on the Billboard 200. His self-titled debut album bows at No. 3 with 63,000. On the Top Country Albums chart, it starts at No. 2, behind Church’s “The Outsiders.” Swindell’s current single, “Chillin’ It,” hit No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart a week ago. Over on the Country Airplay chart, it rises 3-2 this week.
The “Now 49” compilation dips 3-4 on the Billboard 200 with 45,000 (down 41%), Beyonce’s self-titled album falls 4-5 with 35,000 (down 27%), and Lorde’s “Pure Heroine” rises 7-6 with 30,000 (down 21%).
Katy Perry’s “PRISM” is up 9-7 with 26,000 (down 17%), while Bruno Mars’ “Unorthodox Jukebox” descends 5-8 with 23,000 (down 51%).
Rock band Issues nabs a No. 9 entry with its self-titled debut album, as it starts with 22,000 sold. It follows the group’s EP, “Black Diamonds,” which has sold 41,000 copies since its release in 2012. Issues, which is signed to the rock-focused record label Rise Records, tallies the third top 10 set for Rise. It follows Of Mice & Men’s “Restoring Force” (No. 4 on the Feb. 15 chart) and Sleeping With Sirens’ “Feel” (No. 3 on the June 22, 2013, chart).
Toni Braxton and Babyface close out the top 10 this week, as the duo’s “Love, Marriage & Divorce” slides 8-10 with 21,000 (down 37%). After only three weeks in release, the album’s sales stand at 121,000 — not much less than the cumulative sales of Braxton’s last studio release, 2010’s Pulse (156,000).
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Pharrell’s “Happy” continues to rule at No. 1 for a second week, selling 402,000 downloads (up 22%). It’s the biggest sales week for a song outside of the Christmas season since last September, when Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” flew to No. 1 with 477,000 (week ending Sept. 15). That was the week Cyrus’ controversial video for “Wrecking Ball” debuted, hitting YouTube and Vevo on Sept. 9.
Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse,” featuring Juicy J, holds at No. 2 this week with 251,000 (down 9%). In fact, all of the top five songs this week are stationary. Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty,” featuring 2 Chainz, is No. 3 (247,000; down 7%); John Legend’s “All of Me” holds at No. 4 (203,000; though up by 23%); and Bastille’s “Pompeii” is steady at No. 5 (142,000; down 3%).
Aloe Blacc’s “The Man” rises 8-6 with 133,000 (up 3%), Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go” climbs 9-7 with 125,000 (though it’s down 2%), and a Great Big World & Christina Aguilera’s “Say Something” falls 6-8 with 119,000 (down 18%).
Pitbull’s “Timber,” featuring Ke$ha, rises 10-9 with 112,000 (down 9%), and Lorde’s “Team” returns to the top 10, ascending 11-10 with 111,000 (down 6%).
Overall album sales during this past chart week (ending Feb. 23) totaled 4.8 million units, down 11% compared with the sum last week (5.4 million) and down 12% compared with the comparable sales week of 2013 (5.5 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 37.7 million, down 15% compared with the same total at this point last year (44.6 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 24.4 million downloads, down 4% compared with last week (25.4 million) and down 9% stacked next to the comparable week of 2013 (26.9 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 201.1 million, down 12% compared with the same total at this point last year (227.3 million).
Next week’s Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2013 when: Bruno Mars’ “Unorthodox Jukebox” rose to No. 1 for the first time, selling 95,000 copies (up 96%). The chart’s highest debut was Atoms for Peace’s “Amok,” at No. 2, with 50,000.