Think Michael Buble had a good week this week when “Christmas” moved 292,000 units to outsell Adele”s “21” by a two-to-one margin and retain his No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200? Then just wait until next week when “Christmas” possibly surpasses the 500,000 mark.
Every now and then a Christmas title takes over the charts and dominates through the holidays (even if it doesn”t camp out at No. 1): it”s happened with Susan Boyle”s “I Dreamed a Dream,” Josh Groban”s “Noel” and now it”s Buble”s moment. This week”s new release from the Black Keys was the only possible challenger at the top and the album didn”t come close (more about that later). We predict that “Christmas” is a lock to stay at No. 1 until 2012. So why does it surge to such high numbers next week? The increase is, in large part, due to his primetime special on Dec. 6 on NBC.
As is usual this time of year, there will likely be three other holiday titles in next week”s Top 10, according to Hits Daily Double: : Justin Bieber”s “Under the Mistletoe” likely drops one spot to No. 4, while Jackie Evancho”s “Heavenly Christmas” soars six spots to No. 9. Andrea Bocelli”s “My Christmas,” originally released in 2009, will likely be No. 10. That means the classical crossover artist will have two albums in the top 10, as Bocelli”s “Concerto: Live from Central Park” is poised to rise 8-6.
The Black Keys” “El Camino” has an excellent first week with projected sales of 180,000-200,000, but in the wake of Buble”s onslaught, it”s only good enough for a No. 2 start. “Lioness: Hidden Treasures,” the posthumous album from Amy Winehouse, will likely begin its chart story at No. 5 with sales of around 100,000.
Also in the Top 10 will be “21” at No. 3. Even though she likely drops a spot from this week, her sales are expected to rise from 143,000 to 180,000. Sure to stay toward the top for the rest of the year, “21” has never fallen out of the Top 10 since its February debut. Drake”s “Take Care” tumbles from 4-7, but only drops around 10,000 in sales to 80,000. At No. 8 is Nickelback”s “Here & Now,” with sales of up to 65,000.