Metallica’s 1991 album, Metallica, remained number one on the Billboard 200 for four consecutive weeks.
The album debuted at number one in the United States, giving Metallica its first album to reach the top of that chart. Its opening week was especially strong, with approximately 598,000 copies sold according to the album’s documented chart history.
The four-week run is separate from the question of where the album debuted. It describes the duration of its reign at the summit after entering the chart. The album also achieved number-one positions in numerous other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Germany.
Metallica’s sustained chart performance helped turn the record into one of the defining commercial successes of the 1990s. Its long-term sales eventually made it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era in the United States, although that later achievement is distinct from its original four-week chart-topping run.