'Les Miserables' Bows at No. 1 on Soundtracks Chart

It's Les Mis mania on the Billboard charts this week. Les Miserables: Highlights From the Motion Picture Soundtrack arrives at No. 1 on the Soundtracks chart with 43,000 sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. It concurrently bows at No. 33 on the Billboard 200.

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The album was released on Friday, Dec. 21 -- four days before the film's release on Christmas Day. The soundtrack sold 43,000 in less than three full days on sale, as SoundScan's tracking week ended on Sunday, Dec. 23.

Sixty percent of its first-week sales came from digital downloads, with Amazon MP3 fueling a chunk of that sum courtesy of a $5 sale price. The album has been marked down to $5 since release.

Released on Republic Records, the Les Miserables: Highlights album contains 20 songs featured in the film. It is unknown if a more complete soundtrack will eventually see a release, but don't rule it out.

The biggest selling song from the album last week was "I Dreamed a Dream," performed by Anne Hathaway. The download sold 20,000 copies.

Over on the Top Cast Albums chart, which ranks the top-selling musical theater show albums of the week, a full half of the chart's top 10 is occupied by Les Miserables titles.

On the tally, the original Broadway Cast Recording rises from No. 3 to No. 2 (3,000 sold; up 34 percent) while the Original London Cast Recording is steady at No. 5 (2,000; up 27 percent). The Les Miserables Live! New 25th Anniversary Production set is also a non-mover at No. 7 (2,000; up 41 percent) while the Les Miserables: In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall production is also stationary, at No. 8 (1,000; up 41 percent). Rounding out the Les Mis offerings on the Cast Albums chart this week is the Highlights album from the Original Broadway Cast Recording, which holds at No. 10 with just over 1,000 (up 47 percent).