BTS's "ARIRANG" has ranked in the top three of the U.S. Billboard 200 for four consecutive weeks.
According to a chart preview published on Billboard's official website Sunday, BTS's fifth full-length album "ARIRANG" placed third on the Billboard 200 main album chart dated April 25. Since its release on March 20, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (April 4 issue) and held the top spot for three consecutive weeks. By maintaining a top-tier position for four weeks through this week, the album has demonstrated its broad mainstream appeal.
According to Billboard, "ARIRANG" recorded 78,000 album units on this week's chart. The figure combines pure album sales, SEA units (sales equivalent of streaming activity), and TEA units (sales equivalent of digital track downloads).
"ARIRANG" posted the highest ranking among BTS's fourth-week performances on the Billboard 200. The previous record was No. 8, set by the sixth mini-album "MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA" in 2019. With its standout performance on global charts, "ARIRANG" is establishing itself as the group's biggest commercial success.
In particular, this indicates that BTS's music is being embraced by a wide range of listeners beyond their fandom. The expansion of their listener base can be seen as a signal that "BTS 2.0," which the group pledged with the new album, is being realized.
BTS's global popularity is carrying over to live venues. On April 9 and 11-12, the group opened "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG'" at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex, performing for approximately 132,000 fans. The Tokyo Dome concerts held on April 17-18 drew a combined audience of 110,000 over the two days. Notably, a mass sing-along of the Korean folk song "Arirang" erupted at Tokyo Dome, sending chills through many in attendance. During a performance of the new song "Body to Body," which incorporates the melody of "Arirang," local audiences joined in a mass sing-along, creating a scene set to be remembered in concert history. Building on the momentum, BTS will launch its North American tour on April 25-26 and April 28 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, U.S.
"BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG'" will span 85 shows across 34 cities, the largest number of dates for a single tour by a Korean artist. With each city producing new records and iconic moments, anticipation is building for the performances ahead.
Meanwhile, BTS has claimed a total of 14 trophies on domestic music shows with the new album's title track "SWIM" — a remarkable achievement given that the group made no broadcast appearances. On SBS "Inkigayo" on April 19, the album track "2.0" took the top spot, underscoring the strong response to the album as a whole.
