ATEEZ Continues Long-Running Success with 'BAD' Fueled by San's 'Grand Duke of the North' Syndrome

Group ATEEZ is riding a long-term box office success wave.

The craze for "BAD," the title track of ATEEZ's 14th mini album "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5" released on June 26, has continued for over a month. After entering Melon's Top 100 chart at No. 81, ATEEZ showed solid domestic digital power by climbing steeply to a peak position of No. 8.

At the center of this long-term success is member SAN. A scene from a music broadcast performance where he wore a sleeveless outfit spread online as the so-called "let's all die part," drawing massive attention with numerous subsequent parodies. Figures from various fields, including comedian Lee Sun-min and actor Don Lee, eagerly jumped into the parodies, generating a fervent response.

Album sales are also dazzling. This album went straight to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard main album chart, the "Billboard 200," achieving 223,000 copies in local first-week sales alone and reaffirming their standing in the global music market. Domestic initial sales (first week after release) also surpassed 1.88 million copies, breaking their personal best and making them a million-seller for the seventh time overall.

Meanwhile, ATEEZ will hold the "ANITEEZ IN Deja Vu" pop-up store at The Hyundai Seoul from August 21 to September 2.

Photo=KQ Entertainment

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)