"butterfly" debuted at number-one at the us billboard 200 selling 236,000 copies in the first week after its release. it maintained that position for one week and remained in the top twenty for 21 weeks; it stayed in the chart for 55 weeks, including one re-entry. the album achieved its highest weekly sales in the 14th and 15th weeks of its release, when it was number eight in the chart, peaking at 283,000 sales in the 15th week. it also peaked at number three on top r&b/hip-hop albums. in the united states, "butterfly" was certified five-times platinum by the recording industry association of america (riaa), denoting shipments of five million copies. nielsen soundscan estimates the album's sales at 3,807,000 copies in the us. in canada, the album debuted at number one and was certified double-platinum by the canadian recording industry association (cria), denoting shipments of 200,000 copies of the album. "butterfly" debuted at number one in australia, and received a double-platinum certification from the australian recording industry association (aria), indicating shipments of 140,000 units.