ATEEZ 'GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5' Sells 1.88M First Week — Reading the Comeback by the Numbers

Three weeks after release, reading ATEEZ's domestic and Billboard numbers together shows why this comeback stands out.

What The Album Is

ATEEZ returned on June 26 with their 14th mini album, "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5." The five-track release is led by the title song "BAD," alongside "MAMACITA," "TOXIN," "Fallin'," and "Body." It's the fifth chapter in the "GOLDEN HOUR" series that began in 2023, continuing the series' dual focus on Korea's physical album market and overseas streaming and charts.

The comeback follows the group's 13th mini album, "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4" (released February 6, led by "Adrenaline"). The release also overlapped with the European leg of the "IN YOUR FANTASY" world tour, including a show at BST Hyde Park in the U.K. on June 28.

The Numbers Behind The Comeback

First-week sales on Hanteo Chart, Korea's album shipment tracker, reached 1,885,712 copies — about 22% higher than "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4"'s first-week total of 1,544,168, and a new career-high for the group. The previous record was 1,707,870, set by 2023's "THE WORLD EP.FIN : WILL." The album sold 705,276 copies on its first day alone and crossed the 1-million mark within four days, making it the sixth ATEEZ album to sell over 1 million copies in its first week. Domestically, it topped Hanteo Chart, Circle Chart's retail album chart, and Bugs' album chart, and hit No. 1 on iTunes' Top Albums chart in 31 countries.

Overseas numbers rose in tandem. Billboard reported that, in the tracking week ending July 3, "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5" earned 228,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., with 223,000 of those from pure album sales — meaning physical purchases, not streaming, drove the numbers. Both figures are career-highs for the group, and pure sales rose about 14% over "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4"'s 195,000 (itself a career-high at the time).

What Drove This Performance

What stands out is that Korea's physical-album market and the U.S. market grew at the same time, and by a similar margin. Many K-pop acts see either domestic sales plateau while overseas streaming grows, or the reverse — strong at home but weaker on U.S. charts. ATEEZ's roughly 20% growth on both fronts points to a fandom expanding in a balanced way.

Three factors likely contributed. First, the "GOLDEN HOUR" series — now five installments since 2023 — has varied its sound release to release (this comeback's "BAD" departs from the more EDM-leaning "Adrenaline") while keeping the group's identity consistent, building loyalty across the whole series. Second, the "IN YOUR FANTASY" world tour's Asia, Australia, and Europe legs running right up to release — including the June 28 Hyde Park show — may have boosted overseas visibility and physical purchasing power at the same time. Third, as Billboard noted, this U.S. performance was driven by pure sales rather than streaming, suggesting a loyal overseas fanbase that still buys physical albums and digital tracks directly rather than relying on streaming plays.

Records And What They Mean

"GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5" marks several milestones. On the Billboard 200, it's the group's third No. 1, following 2023's "THE WORLD EP.FIN : WILL" and 2024's "GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2," and it extends ATEEZ's streak to nine consecutive top-10 albums on the chart — described as the most of any boy group that debuted in the 2020s (that week, the album topped the Billboard 200 ahead of new releases from Olivia Rodrigo and Drake). At home, it broke the group's own first-week sales record, surpassing a mark set three years earlier.

What's Next

The open questions are how far the "GOLDEN HOUR" series will run, and whether this balanced domestic-overseas growth holds for the next release. If the remaining "IN YOUR FANTASY" tour dates continue, overseas fandom growth and physical sales could keep reinforcing each other. Still, simultaneous ~20% growth on both fronts hasn't been common for the group, so whether the next comeback sustains this margin will show whether this is a lasting trend or a one-off high.

This is nuloq's own analysis based on the public charts, reporting, and official data listed under Sources, written with the help of AI. It is an interpretation of public data for information only — not a definitive judgment of any artist or agency — and chart figures reflect the time of writing. We correct the text if errors are found.