Oscar nominations: ‘Les Miserables’ soundtrack is a top seller
It’s been a good week for “Les Miserables,” which was nominated this morning for the Academy Award for best picture.
Its songs are more than 25 years old, but that isn’t stopping the movie’s fans from rushing out to buy (and presumably download) the soundtrack album to the new movie version of the beloved stage musical.
Featuring 20 tracks, including the new song “Suddenly” written for the movie by original songwriters Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, “Les Miserables” reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart this week with 92,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Billboard reported that the last stage musical-turned-movie musical to see its soundtrack album hit No. 1 on the chart was “Mamma Mia!” in 2008.
“Les Miserables” has been holding its own against pop albums from Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, as well as groups like Mumford & Sons and One Direction.
The movie soundtrack features performances by the movie’s cast, including Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Russell Crowe as Javert, Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Amanda Seyfried as Cosette and Samantha Banks as Eponine.
LIST: Complete list of nominees
The album also features a track sung by Colm Wilkinson, the actor who originated the role of Valjean on stage in London and New York. In the movie, Wilkinson plays the bishop who saves the escaped convict.
“Les Miserables” won multiple Tony Awards in 1987, including the awards for musical, score and book for a musical.
The movie received eight Oscar nominations overall: in addition to best picture, Hugh Jackman was nominated for best actor, Anne Hathaway for best supporting actress, “Suddenly” for best song, and the film was recognized in the sound mix, hair and makeup, costume design, and production design categories.
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