After a surprisingly robust weekend of sales for Bruno Mars’ new album “Unorthodox Jukebox,” it is now in the hunt for a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart.

Last Wednesday, it looked like the Atlantic Records album was on course to sell about 140,000 to 150,000 by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, Dec. 16. However, the set defied those industry projections. Thanks to holiday shoppers out in force over the weekend, label sources say it ultimately sold somewhere in the range of 180,000 to 190,000.

That now puts it in contention for No. 1, where it was thought Taylor Swift’s “Red” was going to rule for a fifth non-consecutive week. Her album is projected to move about 185,000 to 200,000.

We’ll know their official Nielsen SoundScan sales figures on the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 19, when the new Billboard 200 chart’s top 10 will be revealed.

If Bruno tops the list, it will be his first No. 1 album. His debut effort, 2010’s “Doo-Wops & Hooligans,” opened at its peak — No. 3 — selling 56,000 in its first week (according to Nielsen SoundScan).

With the potential shake-up in the top two, that also means that Michael Buble’s “Christmas” album could jump up to No. 3, not No. 2, as forecasted last Friday. [Billboard.biz]