Michael Jackson leads the UK’s albums chart with The Essential, which has surged past 508,000 units following renewed interest sparked by his biopic Michael.

Michael Jackson is outselling all the albums released in 2026 in the UK, Official Charts has confirmed.

The late superstar has taken a commanding lead with 2005’s The Essential Michael Jackson compilation emerging as the country’s biggest album of the year so far. The greatest hits collection has racked up more than 508,000 chart units by the end of Q3, fuelled by a huge spike in streams and sales after the April release of the blockbuster biopic Michael.

The renewed attention has pushed The Essential ahead of Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving, which sits in second place, and Harry Styles’ Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally., currently at Number 3.

Michael’s catalogue is enjoying a broader resurgence too, with Thriller at 16 and Bad at 20 – giving him three albums inside the year-to-date Top 20.

Elsewhere, Olivia Rodrigo’s You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love has surged eight places since the last update, now sitting at Number 5 with more than 305,000 units. Her previous albums SOUR and GUTS also remain strong performers, landing at 26 and 29, respectively.

Fleetwood Mac, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, Noah Kahan and Alex Warren all hold firm in the upper reaches of the Top 10, while Oasis continue their chart endurance following the Oasis Live ’25 tour, with Time Flies: 1994–2009 rounding out the list.

With one quarter still to go, the King of Pop’s lead is significant, but there is still a chance Q4 could bring some surprises.

The UK’s Top 10 Albums of 2026 so far:

1. The Essential – Michael Jackson
2. The Art Of Loving – Olivia Dean
3. Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally – Harry Styles
4. 50 Years: Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac
5. You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love – Olivia Rodrigo
6. The Highlight – The Weeknd
7. +-=÷x (Tour Collection) – Ed Sheeran
8. The Great Divide – Noah Kahan
9. You’ll Be Alright Kid (Chapter 1) – Alex Warren
10. Time Flies: 1994–2009 – Oasis