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BTS has scored its fourth No. 1 album in less than two years on the Billboard 200 chart with Map of the Soul: 7.
Released on February 21 through Big Hit Entertainment. The record sold the equivalent of 422,000 album units in the U.S. for the week ending February 27, which means that the K-pop megastars officially had the biggest week of 2020 for any release. According to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, 347,000 of those units come from album sales — a number that indicates that the group continues to grow in terms of first-week units and sales.
Previously, 2019’s Map of the Soul: Persona began charting with 230,000 units and 196,000 sales, while their September 2018 release, Love Yourself: Answer, began with 185,000 units and 141,000 in sales. BTS' first U.S. No. 1 came earlier in 2018 with the release of Love Yourself: Tear, which sold 131,000 units and 100,000 in sales.
The success of Map of the Soul: 7 marks the biggest debut week for a group in four years since the release of One Direction’s 2015 album, Made in the A.M. Notably, BTS’ latest record comes without the industry-standard strategy of merchandise bundles or concert ticket redemption offers. However, the stars did release four collectible CD packages that also include extras such as a poster and photo card, as well as photo and lyric books.
