Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Reaches A Rarely-Seen Sales Milestone

Michael Jackson's Thriller returns to the top 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart as it celebrates 500 weeks as one of the top-selling titles in America. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI - JULY, 1996: American singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson (1958-2009) performs on stage during a concert for the 50th birthday of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei circa July, 1996 at the Jerudong Park Amphitheatre in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. (Photo by Bill Nation/Sygma via Getty Images)

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It’s a huge week for Michael Jackson on the Billboard charts, perhaps the most exhilarating for the late superstar since his death more than a decade ago. When Jackson passed away unexpectedly, there was a rush to buy and stream everything he’d ever recorded, and at the time he charted multiple new hits while quite a few of his albums and songs returned to various rankings. In 2026, the celebration of his legacy continues with the self-titled biopic Michael.

The box office smash has produced a new winning soundtrack album, Michael: Songs From the Motion Picture, which debuts on half a dozen rankings in the United States this frame. Simultaneously, most of the superstar’s singles and quite a few of his full-lengths debut or return, while a celebrated collection reaches an incredible milestone on one of Billboard’s most competitive lists.

Thriller Reaches 500 Weeks on the Top Album Sales Chart

Thriller rockets up the Top Album Sales chart, Billboard’s detailed roster that focuses entirely on the bestselling — not most-consumed — full-lengths and EPs in the U.S. Purchases on CD, cassette, vinyl, or via digital download stores such as iTunes all count toward where a set lands. This frame, Thriller jumps from No. 48 to No. 7, and as it climbs, it celebrates 500 weeks as one of the top-selling projects in the country.

Bob Marley And Nirvana Beat Thriller to 500 Weeks

Earning triple-digit stays on the Top Album Sales chart is a feat reserved for only the biggest acts and the most popular releases of all time. Amazingly, though, Jackson’s Thriller is not the only title present on the Top Album Sales chart at the moment that has managed 500 frames or more.

At the moment, there are four projects that have racked up 500 turns on the tally. The longest-charting set at the moment remains Bob Marley and the Wailers’ Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers. The greatest hits compilation is up to an amazing 742 stays somewhere on the 50-spot rundown. Not far ahead of Thriller come Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Chronicle and Nirvana’s Nevermind, with 562 and 510 weeks on the list, respectively.

One more behemoth is sure to join Jackson in only a few weeks. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours has spent 495 weeks on the Top Album Sales chart. It will almost certainly crack 500 later this year.

Michael Earns Michael Jackson Another Bestseller

This week, Jackson claims a quintet of bestsellers, and he nearly manages to place three of them inside the top 10. As Thriller rebounds to No. 7, Michael debuts at No. 8. At the same time, his Number Ones compilation dances from No. 38 to No. 12, narrowly missing out on breaking back into the tier.

Lower on the roster comes Off the Wall, which returns at No. 19. 30 weeks into its time on the Top Album Sales chart, that title reaches a new high point. Jackson’s Bad also finds its way to the purchase-only ranking as it reenters at No. 37.

Thriller Returns to Several of Billboard’s Rankings

At the moment, Thriller lives on half a dozen Billboard charts, and it returns to all but one of them. Alongside the Top Album Sales list, Thriller is back inside the top 10 once again on the Top R&B Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts (No. 3). The set also sits on the Vinyl Albums (No. 4) ranking and the Billboard 200 (No. 7).

On the Top Streaming Albums chart, Thriller reappears and makes space on the list of the most-played collections on streaming platforms for only the fifth time. Thriller reaches a new lofty position and breaks into the top 10 for the first time as it surges from off the roster entirely to No. 10.

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