Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated surprise album GNX has impressively debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Dec. 7), achieving the remarkable feat of becoming his fifth consecutive chart-topping album. This latest release launched with a staggering 319,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. for the week ending Nov. 28, according to data from Luminate. This debut marks the sixth-largest opening week of the year, showcasing the album’s immense popularity. The primary driver of this album’s success was its streaming activity, contributing to the album recording the third-largest streaming week of 2024 for any album. Notably, GNX was released without any prior announcement on Nov. 22 at noon ET, creating a buzz in the music industry.

Also making waves in the latest Billboard 200 is the Wicked film soundtrack, which has impressively entered at No. 2. This achievement marks the highest debut ever for a film soundtrack adapted from a stage musical. The new Wicked film, featuring the talented Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, is an adaptation of the acclaimed stage musical that has been captivating audiences on Broadway in New York since its debut in 2003. This remarkable entry showcases the significance of the Wicked franchise in both the theater and film industries, highlighting its ability to transition successfully from stage to screen.

The Billboard 200 chart serves as a comprehensive ranking of the most popular albums in the U.S., based on a multi-metric consumption model as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. These album units encompass various factors, including album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Specifically, each unit equates to one album sale, or the sale of 10 individual tracks from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported streams or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand audio and video streams generated by the album’s songs. The complete Billboard 200 chart, dated for Dec. 7, 2024, will be published on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Dec. 3). For real-time updates and chart news, be sure to follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on social media platforms like X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Out of the impressive 319,000 equivalent album units earned by GNX in its first week, the breakdown reveals that streaming accounted for 285,000 units, equating to an astonishing 379.72 million on-demand official streams across the album’s 12 tracks. This significant streaming activity propelled GNX to debut at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart. Additionally, album sales contributed 32,000 units; the album was only available as a widely accessible standard digital download in both clean and explicit versions, allowing it to debut at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart. Track equivalent albums (TEA) accounted for the remaining 2,000 units, illustrating the album’s diverse appeal across different listening platforms.

With its remarkable performance, GNX achieved the sixth-largest opening week of 2024 based on equivalent album units among all albums released this year. Furthermore, the album generated an impressive 379.72 million on-demand official streams, marking it as the biggest streaming week for any R&B/hip-hop album in 2024. In the broader context, it ranks as the second-largest debut streaming week among all albums released this year and the third-largest overall streaming week. The only two larger streaming weeks were recorded during the first and second weeks of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, with 891.37 million and 428.54 million streams, respectively, underscoring the competitive landscape in the music industry.

Kendrick Lamar has a storied history with the Billboard 200, previously leading the chart with notable albums such as Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), DAMN. (2017), Untitled Unmastered (2016), and To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). Earlier in 2024, he achieved two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with his solo track “Not Like Us” (in May) and a collaborative effort titled “Like That” (in April) with Future and Metro Boomin. It’s essential to note that neither of these chart-topping songs is included in the GNX album, emphasizing Lamar’s ability to generate hits across multiple platforms and projects.

The release of GNX comes just ahead of Kendrick Lamar’s headlining performance at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, scheduled for Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. His participation as the star act was officially announced on Sept. 8. This upcoming halftime show will mark Lamar’s second appearance at this high-profile event, following his notable performance during the all-star hip-hop showcase in 2022, which was headlined by Dr. Dre. The anticipation surrounding his upcoming performance continues to build, showcasing his significant impact on the music scene.

Meanwhile, the Wicked film soundtrack has made headlines by landing at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, achieving the highest debut ever for a film soundtrack that is adapted from a stage musical. This record-breaking entry illustrates the enduring popularity and cultural significance of both the Wicked musical and its film adaptation.

The last time a soundtrack from a stage-to-screen adaptation made it into the top five was over 21 years ago with Chicago, which debuted at No. 4 on the Feb. 1, 2003 chart before reaching a peak position of No. 2 a week later. Looking beyond debut rankings, the last stage-to-screen musical soundtrack to reach the top two was Les Miserables, which notably spent one week at No. 1 on the Jan. 19, 2013-dated chart. This historical context underlines the significance of Wicked within the larger narrative of musical adaptations in the film industry.

Within the realm of soundtracks in 2024, Wicked stands out as the second soundtrack to break into the top 10 for the first time this year and is currently the highest-charting soundtrack following Twisters, which peaked at No. 7 in August. This achievement further emphasizes the soundtrack’s significant reception among audiences and its ability to resonate within a competitive market.

Wicked launched with an impressive total of 139,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Nov. 28, marking the biggest week for a full-length theatrical film soundtrack since Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack, which garnered 143,000 units in its second week on the chart (as of Oct. 17, 2018). Additionally, Wicked has achieved the largest week for any stage-to-screen musical soundtrack since Billboard began ranking titles by equivalent album units in December 2014, highlighting its exceptional performance.

From the opening-week figures for Wicked, it is revealed that album sales accounted for 85,000 units, allowing it to secure the No. 1 spot on the Top Album Sales chart. Additionally, SEA units comprised 52,000, equating to 67.66 million on-demand official streams of the album’s tracks, which positioned it at No. 4 on the Top Streaming Albums chart. TEA units accounted for 2,000. With a remarkable 67.66 million streams generated by its songs, Wicked boasts the largest streaming week for any soundtrack in 2024, as well as the biggest streaming week ever for a stage-to-screen musical film soundtrack.

The first-week album sales for Wicked represent the largest sales week for a full-length theatrical film soundtrack since A Star Is Born achieved 86,000 units in its second week. Furthermore, Wicked has recorded the largest debut sales week for a stage-to-screen musical film since Dreamgirls launched with 92,000 units on the Dec. 23, 2006 chart. The last instance where a stage-to-screen musical film soundtrack sold more than Wicked this past week was when Les Miserables reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 93,000 units in its third chart week (as of Jan. 19, 2013).

The strong opening week sales for Wicked were significantly supported by its availability across six vinyl variants, including a signed edition featuring autographs from both Erivo and Grande, four CD variants (including a signed edition), and a standard digital download album. This diverse range of options for fans has likely contributed to the soundtrack’s impressive sales performance.

In the Billboard 200 rankings, Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping album Short n’ Sweet has ascended from No. 5 to No. 3, achieving 69,000 equivalent album units but marking a 4% decrease. Tyler, The Creator’s previously chart-topping album CHROMAKOPIA has slipped from No. 3 to No. 4, now with 61,000 units, reflecting a 24% decline. Meanwhile, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft has climbed from No. 9 to No. 5 with 50,000 units, showing a slight increase of 2%.

Gracie Abrams’ album The Secret of Us has moved up from No. 8 to No. 6, now with 48,000 equivalent album units, reflecting a 5% drop. Rauw Alejandro’s Cosa Nuestra has dropped from No. 6 to No. 7 with 44,000 units, experiencing a significant 35% decline in its second week. Taylor Swift’s former leader The Tortured Poets Department has climbed from No. 11 to No. 8, now at 43,000 units, which is a modest increase of 1%. Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping album One Thing at a Time has risen from No. 12 to No. 9, achieving 42,000 units, showing a 2% increase, while Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess remains stable at No. 10 with 42,000 units, reflecting a slight decline of 2%.

Luminate, the independent data provider for the Billboard charts, conducts a thorough review of all data submissions utilized in compiling the weekly chart rankings. This review process involves the authentication and verification of data. In partnership with Billboard, any data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is excluded based on established criteria prior to the final chart calculations being published. This meticulous approach ensures the integrity and accuracy of the charts.