Green Day topped the U.S. pop albums chart for a second consecutive week Wednesday, passing the two million sales mark and extending its lead over Eminem during a quiet sales period.
Overall U.S. album sales in the week ended Jan. 16 were down 9.5% from the previous week at 9.6 million units and 8.6% lower than the same week last year. Year-to-date sales stand at 20.3 million units, down 20% from 2004.
Green Day’s “American Idiot” (Reprise) sold almost 100,500 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, up 271 copies from the previous week. Along with Shania Twain’s “Greatest Hits,” which bolted four places to No. 3, it was the only album in the top-10 to record a sales gain.
“American Idiot,” which has spent a total of three non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, has sold just over 2.0 million copies since its September release, already doubling the total of its 2000 album “Warning.”
Green Day also returned to the top of the latest charts in Canada, Ireland, Norway and Sweden, the label said. The band is touring Europe, and will kick off a U.S. leg in April.
Eminem held at No. 2 with his former chart-topper, “Encore” (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope), which sold almost 84,500 copies, taking its tally to 3.7 million.
Twain’s Mercury Nashville compilation sold about 73,800 copies, an 8% increase, for a total of almost 2.5 million.
John Legend held steady at No. 4 with his debut release “Get Lifted” (Sony Urban Music/Columbia), which sold 73,000 copies. Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz’s “Crunk Juice” (TVT) fell two to No. 5 with 70,000 copies.
The top-10 was rounded out by Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” (RCA), Usher’s “Confessions” (LaFace/Zomba), Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s “Collision Course” (Machine Shop/Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam), Ludacris’ “The Red Light District” and the 17th installment of “NOW That’s What I Call Music!” (Sony BMG/Universal/EMI/Zomba/Capitol).
The soundtrack to the weekend’s top-grossing movie was the Billboard 200’s top debut this week, as Capitol’s “Coach Carter” set entered at No. 31 with 29,000 copies. The set features Hot 100 singles chart favorites like Chingy, Twista, the Game, Ciara and Kanye West.
Also debuting this week were “Elektra: The Album” (Wind-Up, No. 62), Donny Osmond’s “What I Meant To Say” (Decca, No. 137), Madeleine Peyroux’s “Careless Love” (Rounder, No. 168), the compilation “15 Duranguenses De Corazon” (Disa, No. 176), the “Napoleon Dynamite” soundtrack (Lakeshore, No. 181), the compilation “Parranda Tequilera 2005” (Univision Music Group, No. 184) and “Baby Einstein: Lullaby Classics” (Buena Vista, No. 191).