Photo of Adele by Alasdair McLellan
Just over 24 hours ahead of the arrival of Adele's long-awaited third full-length, 25, it appears the album is already exceeding expectations.
As of Wednesday night, industry forecasters say the LP is now aiming for first-week sales of 2.5 million copies, handily surpassing original projections of more than 1.3 million.
According to Billboard, Sony Music sources are reporting high demand for physical units, with an estimated 1.5 million in CDs alone expected to sell in the week seven days.
With digital pre-orders already closing in on 550,000 copies and another 400,000 expected upon its release, 25 could easily break the record for the largest album sales week ever, breezing past *NSYNC’s 2000 record-holder, No Strings Attached, which sold 2.4 million units its first week.
Since 2010, only four albums have sold more than 1 million copies in a week, Taylor Swift's Speak Now in 2010, Lady Gaga's Born This Way in 2011 and Swift's Red and 1989, in 2012 and 2014, respectively. Thus, 2.5 million would be a massive achievement, especially in the streaming age.
Speaking of streaming, Sony has not yet confirmed when 25 might be available on platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify. A rep for Spotify told Variance there is a plan in the works, but Billboard suggested there may be a five-day delay for streaming services, likely to boost sales.
To date, Adele's last album, her 2011 juggernaut 21, has sold more than 11 million units in the U.S. since its 2011 release. And if current projections hold steady, 25 could be a quarter of the way to that total by Thanksgiving.