While sales figures are sketchy because of the holidays, look for Taylor Swift”s “Red” to top the Billboard 200 next week.
Early estimates have the superstar”s fourth studio album spending a seventh non-consecutive week at No. 1 with sales of up to 225,000, according to Billboard. The tally will include Amazon”s Christmas Eve sales price of $1.99 (Nielsen SoundScan counts the discounted sales because the album has been out more than four weeks).
“Red” stands atop the leader board this week as well, with sales of 276,000. If “Red” does remain in the top spot, Swift will have registered 24 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, tying Adele as the female artist with the most weeks at No. 1 since the launch of SoundScan in 1991. Swift”s feat spans three albums: 2008″s “Fearless,” 2010″s “Speak Now” and “Red,” while all of Adele”s 24 weeks come from “21.”
In other chart news, look for the soundtrack to “Les Miserables” to possibly vault into the top 10. The title, which is No. 1 on iTunes following the movie”s Dec. 25 opening, debuted at No. 33 this week.
Billboard also expects Bruno Mars” “Unorthodox Jukebox” and One Direction”s “Take Me Home” to remain in the top 10.
The New Year”s Day holiday will delay the chart results until Thursday, Jan. 3 instead of Wednesday, Jan. 2.