Twenty years after its release, “Curtain Call: The Hits” refuses to take its final bow.
Released in December 2005, Eminem’s first greatest hits collection has become a fixture of British listening habits. While trends come and go, this album keeps moving, week after week.
In the UK especially, Eminem’s early singles remain cultural currency. As streams never slow, charts keep updating. And now, “Curtain Call” reaches a milestone no Eminem album has ever touched before in Britain.
700 Weeks on the UK Albums Chart
This week, “Curtain Call” clocks 700 weeks on the UK Official Albums Chart. That chart, similar to the Billboard 200, measures both sales and streaming activity across the country. And, similar to US consumption, which made “Curtain Call” the first hip hop album in history to spend over 750 weeks on the chart, UK listeners keep the compilation in constant rotation.
Very few albums reach this territory. Fewer still do it without anniversary editions or viral revivals. Instead, “Curtain Call” stays present through daily listening, driven by songs that never stopped circulating.
Meanwhile, the compilation currently sits at No. 30 on the main albums chart. It also appears at No. 20 on the Albums Streaming Chart and No. 23 on the Hip Hop and R&B Albums list.
Eminem’s Longest UK Chart Run Ever
No other Eminem release comes close to this run. None of his studio albums crossed even 200 weeks on the Official Albums Chart.
“Curtain Call 2”, released more than fifteen years later, stands as his second-longest performer with 174 weeks. By comparison, “The Eminem Show” and “The Slim Shady LP” reached 159 and 134 weeks, respectively.
This gap says plenty about British listening habits. When UK fans return to Eminem, they return to the hits.
From No. 1 to Permanent Fixture
Back in 2005, “Curtain Call” debuted at No. 1 in the UK. It stayed there for five consecutive weeks, becoming Eminem’s fourth chart-topper at the time.
Since then, Eminem has collected 11 UK No. 1 albums, but none have shown this kind of endurance. Longevity, not peaks, defines Curtain Call’s legacy.
Four Eminem Albums Charting at Once
Meanwhile, this week, Eminem placed four albums on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart.
Alongside Curtain Call, both “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” and “The Eminem Show” return to the list.
Notably, “Curtain Call” has now logged 935 weeks on the genre chart. It also passed 564 weeks among the UK’s most-streamed albums overall.
At the same time, while trailing far behind the original, “Curtain Call” 2 remains active. The sequel drops to No. 85 this week, reflecting a clear fan preference.
In Britain, Eminem’s classic singles still lead the conversation. And after 700 weeks, “Curtain Call” stands less like a compilation and more like a permanent archive.
