Beyonce's new album sells 617,000 copies in 3 days on iTunes

Beyonce's surprise album release has proven to be a resounding success.

Just how successful was it? The self-titled album sold more than 600,000 units in its first three days.

The singer's fifth album was released early Friday morning exclusively on iTunes. Apple said Monday that it sold 617,213 in its U.S. iTunes Store. It sold 828,773 internationally.

The 32-year-old surprised fans with the release of the "visual album," which features 14 songs and 17 videos. It features collaborations with Jay Z, Drake and Justin Timberlake -- as well as an appearance by her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.

The album is being sold by iTunes exclusively for a week at $15.99. It will be sold in retailers and others websites this week.

"Beyonce" broke the first-week digital sales record for an album in the United States. It also marks the singer's best first-week numbers.

The album will debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart this week.