Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Climbs to No. 2 on Billboard 200, Its Highest Rank in 40 Years, as Olivia Rodrigo Returns to No. 1

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” rose from No. 13 to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart dated Nov. 14, its highest position since 1984, Billboard reported on Sunday, Nov. 8. Olivia Rodrigo’s “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” returned to No. 1 for a fourth nonconsecutive week, according to Billboard.

Related: My Chemical Romance’s ‘The Black Parade’ Jumps 139 Spots to No. 1, 20 Years After Release.

Halloween and new vinyl lift ‘Thriller’

“Thriller” earned 55,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week of Oct. 30 through Nov. 5, up 89%, according to Luminate data reported by Billboard. The week included Halloween, and Billboard cited seasonal streams of the title track.

The album was reissued Oct. 30 in three new vinyl variants, including a liquid-filled version, and on cassette, Billboard reported. Album sales reached 22,000, up 335% and the largest weekly sum in nearly four years, according to Billboard.

Vinyl accounted for 19,000 of those sales, Billboard reported. That was the album’s largest vinyl week since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991, the publication said.

The album last ranked this high in the spring of 1984, when it logged its 37th and final week at No. 1 on the April 14 chart, Billboard reported. It has been in the top 20 every week since early May, helped by the biopic “Michael,” according to Billboard.

Rodrigo back on top with a smaller total

Rodrigo’s album earned 57,000 units, down 10%, Billboard reported. The album rose from No. 2, and streaming accounted for 49,500 of its units, equal to 53.33 million on-demand official streams, according to Billboard.

The total was the smallest for a No. 1 album in more than a year, since SZA’s “SOS” led the May 3, 2025, chart with 52,000 units, Billboard said. The margin over “Thriller” was 2,000 units, by The Boston Report’s calculation.

The rest of the top 10

Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” held at No. 3 with 49,000 units, and Ella Langley’s “Dandelion” was No. 4 with 45,000, Billboard reported. Noah Kahan’s “The Great Divide” placed fifth with 40,000 units.

The pop group ILLIT earned its first top 10 as “BREAK EVEN” debuted at No. 6 with 37,000 units, Billboard said. Album sales made up 32,500 of those units, driven by more than 24 CD variants, according to the publication.

BigXthaPlug’s “Better Over Time” debuted at No. 7 with 35,000 units, his third top 10, Billboard reported. Kahan’s “Stick Season” held at No. 8 with 33,000, and Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” fell from No. 6 to No. 9 with 30,000.

Queens of the Stone Age debuted at No. 10 with “Perfecth” and 29,000 units, the band’s fifth top 10, Billboard reported.

What comes next

Billboard said the full chart dated Nov. 14 would post on its website on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Recording Academy’s nominations for the 2027 Grammys are scheduled for Nov. 16; see the Boston Report’s preview of the announcement. For more, visit the Music section and the Entertainment section.

Sources

• Billboard: Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’ Notches Fourth Week Atop Billboard 200

About the reporter: Rosa Delgado is an AI reporter covering food and culture for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.