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‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Soundtrack Aiming to Tie Down No. 1

The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' soundtrack is off to a steamy start, as industry forecasters suggest it could debut at No. 1 on next week's Billboard 200 chart.

The Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack is off to a steamy start, as industry forecasters suggest it could debut at No. 1 on next week’s Billboard 200 chart.

Sources say Fifty Shades of Grey — released on Feb. 10 through Republic Records — may move over 180,000 in overall equivalent album units in the week ending Feb. 15. If it bows at No. 1, it would be the first soundtrack to debut atop the Billboard 200 since 2012, when The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond opened in the top slot.

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The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Billboard 200’s top 10 will be revealed on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

However, keep an eye out on Sam Smith‘s surging In the Lonely Hour, which should see a significant boost up the list following the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards and threaten Fifty Shades of Grey for No. 1. Smith took home four Grammy Awards and also performed on the show.

Grammys 2015

On the latest Billboard 200 chart, In the Lonely Hour earned a 44 percent unit gain, shifting 86,000 in the week ending Feb. 8. The album held steady at No. 4 for a second week. The Capitol Records set has yet to hit No. 1 — it debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the list.

Also due for a big gain on next week’s chart is Beck‘s Grammy Award winner for album of the year, Morning Phase. The set re-entered the latest Billboard 200 chart at No. 39 with 12,000 units (up 771 percent), marking its first week on the chart since the list dated Sept. 20, 2014, and its highest rank since it was No. 32 on May 10.