Wicked casts its spell with biggest streaming debut for a musical soundtrack in UK chart history | Labels

Wicked is a box office hit at UK cinemas – and now the film musical’s soundtrack is also doing blockbuster business.

Wicked: The Soundtrack, released via Island in partnership with Republic and Verve Label Group, has earned the biggest streaming debut for a musical soundtrack in UK chart history.

The cast recording features the film’s stars including Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jeff Goldblum. The music and lyrics are by Steven Schwartz.

The Wicked album debuted at No.1 on the compilations chart with consumption of 20,874 units (7,826 physical copies, 1,609 downloads, 11,439 sales-equivalent streams), according to the Official Charts Company. 

That result would have made Wicked: The Soundtrack No.2 on the main artist album chart if it had been eligible. It had the second biggest streaming total of the week behind Kendrick Lamar. 

Other chart records for Wicked: The Soundtrack include the biggest debut week for a musical soundtrack in the 2020s, as well as the largest weekly vinyl sales for a musical soundtrack in the 21st century.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have created something truly magical, which is going to continue to inspire and enthral future generations of fans for years to come

Louis Bloom

The cast recording has also delivered multiple hits on the singles chart. 

Louis Bloom, president, Island EMI Label Group, said: “Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have come together and created something truly magical, which is going to continue to inspire and enthral future generations of fans for years to come. After the film has broken multiple box office records this week, it’s no wonder the movie’s soundtrack is now doing the same, as it enters at No.1 in the UK and delivers three Top 20 singles in its opening week. This is just the beginning, and we are proud to be working with the team at Republic on such a special project.”

Wicked: The Soundtrack had the highest consumption for a compilation since Barbie: The Album opened with 21,207 units 70 weeks ago. 

Defying Gravity by Cynthia Erivo feat. Ariana Grande made the singles chart Top 10, debuting at No.7 (27,489 sales). 

Further down the chart, there are debuts for Popular (No.13, 19,051 sales) by Ariana Grande and What Is This Feeling? (No.17, 18,058) by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. 

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