*NSYNC, Madonna & The Goo Goo Dolls Impact Global Charts With ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Syncs
Written by djfrosty on August 7, 2024
The highest new entry – the Hot Shot Debut – on the Aug. 10-dated Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and Billboard Global 200 is *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” new at Nos. 16 and 18, respectively. The song with the biggest weekly increase in overall consumption – the Greatest Gainer – is the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” up more than 30 spots on each list, hitting new peaks of Nos. 55 and 58.
Why are these songs, both chart-toppers upon their original releases a quarter-century ago, surging worldwide? Both tracks are featured in Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine, the biggest movie in the world. The superhero flick has brought in $852.1 million since its July 26 release, according to Box Office Mojo, becoming the year’s second highest-grossing film in a matter of 11 days. The film and its soundtrack are drenched in catalog songs, employing classic hits from the 80s, 90s and 2000s to juice its nostalgic appeal.
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“Bye Bye Bye” debuts on the back of 35.8 million streams and 5,000 downloads sold worldwide in the week ending Aug. 1, according to Luminate. From the previous week, before the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, those numbers mark an 879% increase in global streams, and a more than 1,000% increase in sales.
While consumption is up across the board, “Bye Bye Bye” sees bigger gains internationally, up 1,083% in non-U.S. streams compared to its still-massive 494% bump stateside. The song pops up on four of Billboard’s Hits of the World charts. It’s particularly strong in Asia, at No. 7 on Malaysia Songs with appearances on rankings for Hong Kong and Singapore. Additionally, it debuts at No. 16 on Peru Songs.
This is *NSYNC’s third appearance on the Global 200, following their perennial holiday-season run for “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,” and last year’s reunion track, “Better Place.” Those have reached as high as Nos. 97 and 128, respectively, immediately outpaced by the group’s Total Request Live-era classic. “Bye Bye Bye” topped the Pop Airplay tally for 10 weeks in the spring of 2000. (Billboard’s global charts launched in 2020).
The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” crowned the same list for four weeks in July and August of 1998. Originally written for the City of Angels soundtrack, it’s fitting that another summer blockbuster has sent the song surging 26 years later.
“Iris” has been a constant on the global charts, logging its 48th week on the Global 200 since debuting in May 2022. But while the track has enjoyed a consistent on-and-off-the-chart presence, its Deadpool & Wolverine sync sparks its highest rank yet. It’s up by 23% to 21.3 million streams worldwide in the latest tracking week.
One more song featured in the film debuts on this week’s global charts. Madonna arrives with “Like A Prayer,” starting at No. 181 on the Global 200 and No. 189 on Global Excl. U.S. Back in 1989, the track topped the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.
This isn’t Madonna’s first Deadpool-inspired bump. “Like A Prayer” was featured in the film’s official trailer, yielding a 49% blast in global streams (to 4.3 million) in the week of April 19-25. So while the song’s usage in the film may not have been a surprise to moviegoers, it still led to a 175% increase, nearly tripling its post-trailer count at 12.3 million.
“Like A Prayer” is Madonna’s second entry on the global charts. “Popular,” her collaboration with The Weekend and Playboi Carti for HBO’s The Idol, debuted last June, before reaching No. 13 on both lists in February of this year. That makes “Like A Prayer” the first of Madonna’s solo catalog to crack the lists. She has charted 58 songs on the Hot 100, including 38 top 10s and 12 No. 1s, but her storied career mostly pre-dates the 2020 launch of the global charts.