BTS’s ‘BE’ Opens At No. 1 With One Of The Largest Debuts Of 2020

Less than a year after they last ruled over the Billboard 200, BTS are back atop the all-encompassing Billboard chart that ranks the most-consumed full-lengths in the U.S. every week. The South Korean vocal band start their new release BE at No. 1 with ease, proving once again that they are nearly unrivaled in their popularity and ability to sell an album, which is no small feat in today’s musical economy.

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BE opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 242,000 equivalent units shifted. The figure includes 177,000 actual sales—a sizable sum for 2020—as well as 30,000 streaming equivalent units, which are made up of more than 48 million plays on platforms like Spotify and Apple
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BTS has now charted five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200. Impressively, they have managed to send all of their leading titles to the top spot in only about two and a half years, as they first conquered the list in May 2018. In addition to BE, the septet has ruled over the tally with Love Yourself: Tear, Love Yourself: Answer, Map of the Soul: Persona and Map of the Soul: 7. 

BTS has also landed one other top 10 on the Billboard 200, as Love Yourself: Her peaked at No. 7 back in 2017. BE is the group’s thirteenth project to appear on the chart.

BE was first introduced with the single “Dynamite,” which, at the time, was a standalone tune. The cut debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, making BTS the first South Korean act to reach the highest rung on that competitive songs ranking. Since it opened in first place back in September, the disco-pop cut has earned three stays in the penthouse and many more inside the top 10.

New BE single “Life Goes On” is largely expected to debut inside the top 10 of the coming Hot 100, and it stands a good shot at opening in first place. When Billboard unveils the latest edition of the list on Tuesday (December 1), it’s highly likely that BTS will send a handful of tracks from the project to the tally.

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