Adele’s 25 Might Sell 4 Million Albums in the U.S. Alone This Year
Her label is shipping 3.6 million physical copies to the U.S.

Everyone and their mother will be getting Adele's new album for Christmas this year — literally. Billboard reports that her label has shipped an astounding 3.6 million physical copies of 25 to the U.S., where she's expected to have the biggest-selling opening week in Nielsen SoundScan history. In 2000, 'N Sync's No Strings Attached shipped 4.2 million copies and sold a record 2.4 million in its first week. The music industry projects that Adele could beat their record with 2.5 million albums in a single week, thanks to both strong digital and CD sales. (No one's sure if her album will be available to stream when it's released on Friday.) Even more incredible: Billboard says that if sales of 25 keep climbing — and they are expected to — Adele might even sell 4 million copies of the album by the time we reach Christmas.
To understand just how astronomical those numbers are, consider that it took a band like Panic! at the Disco ten years for their debut album to sell even half of what Adele could do in just over a month. (Last week, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out sold its 2 millionth copy, making it certified double-platinum.) Adele's 21 has already gone diamond, with more than 11 million copies sold; by just next year, its follow-up could be halfway there. Is it possible that 25 can be as big as 21? Start placing your bets!