BTS have achieved a major first in their US chart history, with ARIRANG holding onto the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for a third straight week.
Until now, the group had never spent more than a single week at the top of the American album chart, making this extended run a new high point for the K-pop superstars.
The record earned 124,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 9, according to Luminate, dipping from last week’s 187,000 but still far ahead in what has been a quiet period for new releases.
Its debut figure of 641,000 units remains the biggest opening of the year and the strongest since Taylor Swift’s most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl, last October.
Billboard notes that the last group to manage three consecutive weeks at No. 1 was Mumford and Sons with Babel back in 2012–13.
For ARIRANG, this week’s total includes 71,000 pure album sales and around 50,000 streaming-equivalent units, fuelled by more than 52 million on-demand streams.
Meanwhile, last week’s runner-up, Ye’s (Kanye West) Bully, slips to No. 3 with 69,000 units after a sharp decline.
BTS recently launched their ARIRANG world tour with an opening night that left the members — and the thousands watching — overwhelmed with emotion.
One of the evening’s standout moments came when the group unexpectedly slipped I Need U into the setlist, the 2015 hit that first pushed them toward global recognition.
The second the opening notes hit, the Goyang Stadium erupted, with fans unleashing one of the loudest reactions of the entire concert.
The emotional intensity only deepened as the show continued.
One by one, the members addressed the crowd on Thursday night (09.04.26), sharing heartfelt messages about what it means to be reunited on stage again.
Jimin told fans: “The past years were such a pain, not being able to see you.”
