as with many of carey's previous records, "butterfly" became a large success in asia. in japan, the record debuted at number one on the album charts. the album was certified the million award by the recording industry association of japan (riaj), denoting shipments of one million copies. in hong kong, "butterfly" finished as one of the twenty best-selling foreign albums of 1997, receiving a platinum certification by ifpi. globally, "butterfly" has sold over 10 million copies.