It’s official: Eminem’s new album, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with the second-largest sales week of the year.
The set, released on Nov. 5, sold a bigger-than-expected 792,000 copies in the week ending Nov. 10, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Last week, industry sources had forecast it to bow with around 750,000.
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The rest of the new Billboard 200 chart’s top 10 will be revealed on Nov. 13.
Justin Timberlake continues to reign with the year’s biggest week, when “The 20/20 Experience” bowed at No. 1 with 968,000 in March. The year’s second-largest week had been the arrival of Drake’s “Nothing Was the Same,” which it debuted with 658,000.
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“MMLP2” also logs the sixth-biggest sales week of the past five years. Since November of 2008, the only larger weeks were earned by Taylor Swift’s “Red” (2012, 1.2 million its debut), Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” (2011, 1.1 million debut), Swift’s “Speak Now” (2010, 1 million debut), Timberlake and Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter IV” (2011, 964,000 debut).
“MMLP2” marks Eminem’s seventh No. 1 album — all consecutive, and all debuts at No. 1. His only album to miss the top slot was his first release, 1999’s “The Slim Shady LP.” It debuted and peaked at No. 2.
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Impressively, “MMLP2” posts a larger debut than Eminem’s last album, 2010’s “Recovery,” which started with 741,000. And both albums bowed bigger than his previous set, 2009’s “Relapse,” which entered with 608,000.