Lil Nas X’s Montero was originally projected to move 130,000-140,000 first-week units. Those projected numbers fell in recent days, and now the Georgia-raised entertainer could fall short of securing the #1 album in the country.
According to HitsDailyDouble, Montero racked up around 125,000 units in its opening week. However, Drake’s Certified Lover Boy was reportedly able to bring in another 156,000 in its third week.
If those totals are accurate, Certified Lover Boy will remain at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart for a third consecutive week. Montero is presently expected to debut at #2 on the album rankings.
HitsDailyDouble‘s sales projections can be imprecise as compared to the final Billboard count. The official Billboard 200 chart will be revealed on Sunday.
.@Drake's 'Certified Lover Boy' is aiming for a third week at #1 on the US albums chart with over 150K sold (via @HITSDD).
— chart data (@chartdata) September 21, 2021
Some fans and industry insiders may see a No. 2 start for Montero as a disappointment. Lil Nas X spent months promoting his debut studio LP with controversial music videos, social media antics, award show performances, and interviews.
Lil Nas X could miss placing in the Top 10 of the first-week album sales for 2021. Drake currently leads that list with Certified Lover Boy which started out the gate with 613,000 album-equivalent units.
While Montero appears to be headed to underwhelming first-week sales, the project was well-received by professional music reviewers. The body of work currently has an 85/100 score on Metacritic which signifies universal acclaim.
