The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” has sparked a resurgence of fans looking to experience the excitement of “Thriller,” 40 years after the LP’s debut.
Billboard reported that the 1982 LP tops the R&B and Hip Hop Album chart. It also places at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 behind four top-selling current country music superstars: Noah Kahn, Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves, and Morgan Wallen.
‘Thriller’ Finds a New Legion of Fans
The worldwide success of the “Michael” biopic has pushed his masterpiece album “Thriller” into the forefront once again.
The LP’s top spot is the first time it has placed in that position since 1984, almost 42 years ago. Its renewed success highlights the lasting impact of Jackson’s music as a new generation of fans rediscovers the iconic album.
Jackson’s influence is also being felt on the Billboard Hot 100. “Billie Jean” places at No. 17 on the chart for the week ending May 16, 2026; “Human Nature” is at No. 29, “Beat It” at 32, and “Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough” at 42.
According to Forbes, “Thriller” has now spent 500 weeks on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart. “Thriller” was named the world’s best-selling album by the Guinness organization. It was also the highest-certified studio album in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Remains a Historic Recording
Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was a watershed album when it was first released on November 29, 1982. The LP was Jackson’s sixth studio album as a solo artist. It followed the wild success of 1979’s dance-based LP “Off The Wall.”
According to Britannica, Jackson wanted to create a masterpiece, an album that had no throwaway songs. He wanted each one to be a hit single, and he almost accomplished that very feat.
Michael Jackson Wanted Each One of ‘Thriller’s’ Tracks to Create an Unforgettable Listening Experience
In a 2007 interview with Ebony Magazine, Jackson opened up about his goal of making every track feel like its own unforgettable musical event.
“Ever since I was a little boy, I would study composition. And it was Tchaikovsky that influenced me the most. If you take an album like ‘Nutcracker Suite,’ every song is a killer, every one,” he began.
“So I said to myself, ‘Why can´t there be a pop album where every…’—people used to do an album where you´d get one good song, and the rest were like B-sides. They´d call them ‘album songs.'”
“I would say to myself, ‘Why can´t every one be like a hit song? Why can´t every song be so great that people would want to buy it if you could release it as a single?’ So I always tried to strive for that. That was my purpose. That was the whole idea. I wanted to just put any one out that we wanted. I worked hard for it,” Jackson concluded.
The Saturday Evening Post reported that “Thriller” spawned seven Top 10 singles. These songs included “The Girl Is Mine,” “Billie Jean,” (No. 1) “Beat It,” (No. 1) “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, “Human Nature,” “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” and “Thriller.”
