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Michael Jackson’s Hugely Successful Compilation Reaches A Chart Landmark
Hollywood & Entertainment Michael Jackson’s Hugely Successful Compilation Reaches A Chart Landmark By Hugh McIntyre ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts. Follow Author Aug 23, 2026, 11:00am EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary Michael Jackson’s 'Number Ones' reaches 250 weeks on the Billboard 200, becoming only his third release to hit that milestone after 'Thriller' and 'The Essential Michael Jackson.' The compilation slips to No. 16 and appears on six Billboard rankings this week, including top 10 placements on the Top R&B Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Vinyl Albums charts.
Michael Jackson’s entire catalog experienced the kind of boost that few artists, either alive or no longer with us, will ever experience when his namesake biopic Michael arrived in theaters this spring. Many of the King of Pop’s albums and songs soared when it came to both streams and sales, with some debuting on Billboard charts that either did not exist during the musician’s heyday or which have changed considerably in the decade-plus since his passing.
Months after Michael became a box office sensation and the first musical biopic to earn more than $1 billion around the world, Jackson’s posthumous surge continues. Most of the titles that have held on are now on the decline, but the fact that no fewer than four albums by the late superstar continue to appear on multiple rosters in America stands as an incredible showing.
One of those sets – which is counted among Jackson’s many popular compilations – brings him to a milestone he has only seen a few times before on the busiest and most competitive albums roster in the United States.
Number Ones has reason to celebrate, as the compilation has now spent 250 weeks on the Billboard 200 , as of this frame. The compilation falls only five spaces in this landmark frame, landing at No. 16 after sitting just one rung beneath the top 10 last time around. The Billboard 200, published each week by Billboard , ranks the most-consumed albums and EPs in America, and both sales and streams help a project rise, fall, or debut.
Number Ones becomes only the third Jackson release to spend at least 250 weeks on the Billboard 200. It follows another compilation, The Essential Michael Jackson , which has so far accumulated 551 frames on the tally, though it is not often present on the list these days, since Number Ones has become the go-to singles set for most listeners.
Thriller – which already ranks among the longest-charting albums in the history of the Billboard 200 – is up to 731 weeks on the list.
Several other Jackson releases have also held on for triple-digit frames. Dangerous has spent 127 weeks on the ranking, followed by Bad with 173 and Off the Wall with 202.
Number Ones appears on half a dozen Billboard rankings this week. Amazingly, the compilation lives inside the top 10 on half of those lists. Excluding the Billboard 200, the singles project also lands on the Top R&B Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Vinyl Albums, Top Album Sales and Top Streaming Albums charts, and this time around the collection makes homes at Nos. 3, 5, 10, 12 and 19 on those tallies, respectively.
Number Ones returns to the top 10 on the Vinyl Albums roster, while over on the Top R&B Albums ranking, the title sits one space beneath its all-time peak of No. 2. Despite the collection’s longevity and continued popularity, Number Ones has never conquered the genre-focused list.
Thriller appears on the same half-dozen Billboard charts as Number Ones , and in most cases, the more than 40-year-old blockbuster outperforms the compilation. The Grammy winner for Album of the Year currently appears on the Top R&B Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Vinyl Albums and Top Album Sales charts at Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. Thriller also settles at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and No. 20 on the Top Streaming Albums tally.
Two more Jackson studio albums are present on Billboard charts this week, and both appear on only two rosters apiece – the same two, notably. Off the Wall lands at Nos. 16 and 22 on the Vinyl Albums and Top Album Sales charts, respectively. Bad follows at Nos. 21 and 33 on the same pair of rankings.
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