Chart Watch: 'Suicide Squad,' #1 Movie, #1 Soundtrack
The Suicide Squad soundtrack enters the Billboard 200 at #1. The movie, which stars Will Smith, Jared Leto, and Margot Robbie, has been #1 at the box-office the past two weekends. Suicide Squad is the first soundtrack from a theatrically released movie to reach #1 since Pitch Perfect 2 in May 2015.
Suicide Squad sold 128K copies this week in traditional album sales. That’s the biggest one-week tally by any soundtrack since Fifty Shades of Grey debuted with sales of 210K in February 2015. In both cases, smash singles spurred the strong debuts. Two Suicide Squad singles are listed in the top 15 on this week’s Hot 100. twenty one pilots’ “Heathens” jumps from #11 to #4 in its eighth week; Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons’ “Sucker for Pain” (with Logic & Ty Dolla $ign featuring X Ambassadors) vaults from #38 to #15 in its seventh week. In much the same way, the week the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack debuted, two songs from that album were listed in the top 15. Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” jumped from #9 to #6 that week. The Weeknd’s “Earned It” vaulted from #29 to #12.
And four more singles from Suicide Squad are moving up the Hot 100. Skrillex & Rick Ross’s “Purple Lamborghini” vaults from #90 to #33 in its third week. Grace’s “You Don’t Own Me” (featuring G-Eazy) re-enters the chart at #60. Kehlani’s “Gangsta” is the week’s second-highest new entry at #62. Panic! At the Disco’s cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the week’s third-highest new entry at #64.
This marks the third time that “Bohemian Rhapsody” has been featured on a chart-topping soundtrack. Queen’s original version was featured on Wayne’s World, which spent two weeks at #1 in 1992. The Glee cast’s version (featuring Jonathan Groff) was featured on Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals, a #1 EP in 2010.
Suicide Squad is the film starring Will Smith to spawn a chart-topping soundtrack. It follows Men in Black (1997) and Bad Boys II (2003).
Since 1955, Elvis Presley and the Beatles are the only other film stars who have starred in three or more films that have spawned chart-topping soundtracks. Those rock titans each starred in four. Presley starred in Loving You, G.I. Blues, Blue Hawaii, and Roustabout. The Beatles starred in A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, and Let it Be.
Smith is the only actor who has had a soundtrack to one of his films reach #1 in three different decades. The #1 soundtracks by Elvis and the Beatles cover just two decades in each case.
While soundtracks to three Smith films have reached #1, Smith has yet to land a #1 album as a recording artist. His highest-charting album, Willennium, peaked at #5 in 1999. By contrast, Elvis and the Beatles each reached #1 with many non-soundtrack albums. Elvis topped the chart with six non-soundtracks. The Beatles topped the chart with 15 non-soundtracks.
“Heathens” is the third top 10 hit so far this year for twenty one pilots, following “Stressed Out” and “Ride.” The duo is only the fourth artist to have three top 10 hits (all as the lead artist) in 2016. They follow Justin Bieber, Drake, and the Chainsmokers, which notched their third top 10 hit of the year just last week.
“Ride” is still listed in the top 10, which gives twenty one pilots two songs in this week’s top 10. Billboard‘s Gary Trust reports that twenty one pilots is the first rock group or duo to have two songs in the top 10 simultaneously since Santana doubled up with “Smooth” (featuring Rob Thomas) and “Maria Maria” (featuring the Product G&B) for six weeks in February/March 2000.
Top Songs
Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” (featuring Sean Paul), logs its fourth week at #1 on the Hot 100.
Major Lazer’s “Cold Water” (featuring Justin Bieber) rebounds from #5 to #2 in its third week. The song is #1 for the third week on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Calvin Harris’s “This Is What You Came For” (featuring Rihanna) holds at #3 in its 15th week. The song tops the 1 million mark in digital sales this week.
The Chainsmokers’ “Closer” (featuring Halsey) jumps from #9 to #6 in its second week.
Adele’s “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” dips from #10 to #11 in its 13th week.
DJ Snake’s “Let Me Love You” (featuring Justin Bieber) is the week’s top new entry at #12. The song debuts at #1 on Top Digital Songs, with sales of 113K. It’s Bieber’s third #1 digital hit so far this year, following “Love Yourself” and Major Lazer’s “Cold Water.” Only one other artist, Drake, has had three #1 digital hits so far this year — “Rihanna’s “Work” and his own “Pop Style” (featuring the Throne) and “One Dance (featuring WizKid and Kyla). A different song titled “Let Me Love You,” by Mario, logged nine weeks at #1 in 2005.
This is the fourth consecutive week in which a brand-new song has topped the Digital Songs chart. This is the first time that new songs have topped that chart in four consecutive weeks since it happened in October/November 2010, with Kesha’s “We R Who We R,” Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?” (featuring Drake), Glee Cast’s “Teenage Dream,” and Glee Cast’s “Forget You” (featuring Gwyneth Paltrow).
Ariana Grande’s “Into You” leaps from #22 to #13 in its 13th week. It’s vying to become her eighth top 10 hit.
Shawn Mendes’s “Treat You Better” jumps from #18 to #14 in its 10th week. It’s vying to become his second top 10 hit, following “Stitches.”
Top Albums
Skillet’s Unleashed enters the Billboard 200 at #3. It’s the third top 10 album in a row by the Christian rock band.
Blake Shelton’s If I’m Honest rebounds from #9 to #4 in its 12th week, following a 99-cent sale at Google Play. Shelton let his fans know about the promotion with this disarming tweet: “Thanks to @GooglePlay, my album costs less than a gallon of gas right now!” The album is #1 on Top Country Albums for the fourth non-consecutive week.
Now 59 debuts at #5. It’s the 65th album in the Now franchise to crack the top 10. That’s all 59 regular numbered volumes plus six extra editions.
twenty one pilots’ Blurryface drops from #3 to #6 in its 65th week. The album debuted at #1 in May 2015. The duo’s 2013 album Vessel holds at #30 in its 104th chart week. The album has climbed as high as #21. Vessel is #1 on the Top Catalog Albums chart for the fifth week.
DJ Snake’s Encore debuts at #8. It’s the French DJ’s first studio album. The album includes the aforementioned “Let Me Love You” (featuring Justin Bieber). DJ Snake is the fifth artist whose name begins with the phrase “DJ” to land a top 10 album. DJ Khaled reached #1 just last week with Major Key. DJ Clue? climbed as high as #3 (with The Professional 2 in 2001). D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince reached #4 (with He’s the D.J., I’m the Rapper in 1988). DJ Quik climbed as high as #10 (with Way 2 Fonky in 1992).
Unleashed and Encore are good album titles, but they’re not exactly fresh ones. Toby Keith had a #1 album titled Unleashed in 2002. Eminem had a #1 album titled Encore in 2004.
Four albums drop out of the top 10 this week. Jake Owen’s American Love dives from #4 to #50 in its second week. Fantasia’s The Definition Of… plummets from #6 to #66 in its second week. Hillary Scott & the Scott Family’s Love Remains drops from #7 to #28 in its second week. The Hamilton cast album drops from #10 to #12 in its 46th week.
Suicide Squad and Drake will battle for #1 next week. Look for Justin Moore’s Kinda Don’t Care to be the week’s top new entry. Also due: Rae Sremmurd’s Sremmlife 2 and PartyNextDoor’s PartyNextDoor 3.
