Box Office Star Records > Worldwide > Lifetime Specific Technical Role > Top Worldwide Composers
Top Grossing Composer at the Worldwide Box OfficeBETA
See also: Top Domestic Composers - Top International Composers - Top Worldwide Art Directors - Top Worldwide Assistant Directors - Top Worldwide Assistant Editors - Top Worldwide Associate Producers - Top Worldwide Casting Directors - Top Worldwide Cinematographers - Top Worldwide Co-Executive Producers - Top Worldwide Co-Producers - Top Worldwide Costume Designers - Top Worldwide Costume Supervisors - Top Worldwide Dialogue Editors - Top Worldwide Directors - Top Worldwide Editors - Top Worldwide Executive Producers - Top Worldwide Line Producers - Top Worldwide Make-up and Hair Designers - Top Worldwide Music Editors - Top Worldwide Music Supervisors - Top Worldwide Producers - Top Worldwide Production Designers - Top Worldwide Re-recording Mixers - Top Worldwide Screenwriters - Top Worldwide Second Unit Directors - Top Worldwide Set Decorators - Top Worldwide Set Designers - Top Worldwide Sound Designers - Top Worldwide Sound Editors - Top Worldwide Sound Effects Editors - Top Worldwide Sound Mixers - Top Worldwide Story Creators - Top Worldwide Stunt Coordinators - Top Worldwide Supervising Sound Editors - Top Worldwide Unit Production Managers - Top Worldwide Visual Effects Supervisors
This list shows the highest grossing Composers based on the worldwide box office of the movies they worked on.
Since we are still actively researching technical roles, we consider this chart to be in beta mode. The table includes data for movies in The Numbers database. While we make every effort to collect all available data, there are inevitably omissions and errors. Please help us by sending corrections to corrections@the-numbers.com.
1
Hans Zimmer
| Best known as a Composer based on credits in that role in 112 films. |
| Top films contributed to this record: The Lion King ($1,661,454,403 in 2019), Top Gun: Maverick ($1,463,641,406 in 2022), The Dark Knight Rises ($1,082,228,107 in 2012), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ($1,066,179,725 in 2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($1,045,713,802 in 2011), The Dark Knight ($1,007,695,772 in 2008), The Lion King ($988,389,726 in 1994), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ($960,996,492 in 2007), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($872,395,091 in 2016), Inception ($825,786,894 in 2010) |
2
John Williams
| Best known as a Composer based on credits in that role in 80 films. |
| Top films contributed to this record: Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens ($2,056,046,835 in 2015), Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi ($1,322,581,071 in 2017), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ($1,069,951,814 in 2019), Jurassic Park ($1,058,454,230 in 1993), Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace ($1,046,515,409 in 1999), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ($963,637,834 in 2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ($874,954,228 in 2002), Star Wars Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith ($848,998,877 in 2005), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ($797,307,407 in 1982), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($786,635,413 in 2008) |
3
Michael Giacchino
| Best known as a Composer based on credits in that role in 45 films. |
| Top films contributed to this record: Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1,921,206,586 in 2021), Jurassic World ($1,671,063,641 in 2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($1,308,323,302 in 2018), Incredibles 2 ($1,242,805,359 in 2018), Spider-Man: Far From Home ($1,132,298,674 in 2019), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ($1,055,083,596 in 2016), Zootopia ($1,000,877,770 in 2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming ($878,852,749 in 2017), Inside Out ($850,309,035 in 2015), Coco ($796,397,165 in 2017) |
Complete List
| Rank | Name | Worldwide Box Office |
Movies | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hans Zimmer | $33,415,006,175 | 112 | $298,348,269 |
| 2 | John Williams | $25,917,276,022 | 80 | $323,965,950 |
| 3 | Michael Giacchino | $21,878,890,353 | 45 | $486,197,563 |
| 4 | James Newton Howard | $19,334,193,517 | 123 | $157,188,565 |
| 5 | Alan Silvestri | $18,818,183,941 | 92 | $204,545,478 |
| 6 | Danny Elfman | $18,438,148,211 | 98 | $188,144,370 |
| 7 | Brian Tyler | $14,902,852,337 | 63 | $236,553,212 |
| 8 | John Powell | $14,467,826,217 | 54 | $267,922,708 |
| 9 | James Horner | $13,990,148,545 | 101 | $138,516,322 |
| 10 | Christophe Beck | $12,024,483,545 | 76 | $158,216,889 |
| 11 | Henry Jackman | $10,849,842,539 | 35 | $309,995,501 |
| 12 | John Debney | $10,720,277,445 | 100 | $107,202,774 |
| 13 | Howard Shore | $10,673,014,227 | 68 | $156,956,092 |
| 14 | Harry Gregson-Williams | $10,195,018,708 | 54 | $188,796,643 |
| 15 | Thomas Newman | $10,184,563,574 | 85 | $119,818,395 |
| 16 | Alexandre Desplat | $9,051,487,068 | 59 | $153,415,035 |
| 17 | Heitor Pereira | $8,750,025,616 | 31 | $282,258,891 |
| 18 | Marco Beltrami | $7,462,707,837 | 68 | $109,745,703 |
| 19 | Lorne Balfe | $7,395,079,513 | 40 | $184,876,988 |
| 20 | Steve Jablonsky | $7,028,636,451 | 29 | $242,366,774 |
| 21 | Randy Newman | $6,965,337,694 | 24 | $290,222,404 |
| 22 | Mark Mothersbaugh | $6,730,171,517 | 72 | $93,474,604 |
| 23 | Jerry Goldsmith | $6,471,251,477 | 107 | $60,478,986 |
| 24 | Rupert Gregson-Williams | $6,210,447,557 | 32 | $194,076,486 |
| 25 | Tyler Bates | $6,146,568,003 | 46 | $133,621,044 |
| 26 | Carter Burwell | $6,008,943,298 | 88 | $68,283,447 |
| 27 | Alan Menken | $5,516,771,330 | 13 | $424,367,025 |
| 28 | Ludwig Göransson | $5,447,626,753 | 17 | $320,448,633 |
| 29 | Tom Holkenborg | $5,350,028,591 | 24 | $222,917,858 |
| 30 | David Newman | $5,310,444,018 | 76 | $69,874,263 |
| 31 | John Ottman | $5,280,732,441 | 32 | $165,022,889 |
| 32 | Patrick Doyle | $5,111,450,705 | 47 | $108,754,270 |
| 33 | David Arnold | $4,985,127,136 | 24 | $207,713,631 |
| 34 | Theodore Shapiro | $4,799,211,631 | 61 | $78,675,601 |
| 35 | Trevor Rabin | $4,648,289,764 | 39 | $119,186,917 |
| 36 | Benjamin Wallfisch | $3,909,735,729 | 26 | $150,374,451 |
| 37 | Michael Kamen | $3,905,471,898 | 53 | $73,688,149 |
| 38 | Mark Mancina | $3,861,764,744 | 29 | $133,164,302 |
| 39 | Christopher Young | $3,752,145,331 | 70 | $53,602,076 |
| 40 | Ramin Djawadi | $3,608,255,448 | 22 | $164,011,611 |
| 41 | Mark Isham | $3,597,524,360 | 98 | $36,709,432 |
| 42 | Christopher Lennertz | $3,422,665,266 | 35 | $97,790,436 |
| 43 | Graeme Revell | $3,151,697,819 | 73 | $43,173,943 |
| 44 | Aaron Zigman | $3,113,678,473 | 48 | $64,868,302 |
| 45 | Mychael Danna | $3,046,037,329 | 50 | $60,920,747 |
| 46 | Harold Faltermeyer | $2,693,542,499 | 13 | $207,195,577 |
| 47 | Craig Armstrong | $2,684,024,378 | 28 | $95,858,014 |
| 48 | Dario Marianelli | $2,635,960,637 | 30 | $87,865,355 |
| 49 | Daniel Pemberton | $2,542,113,432 | 21 | $121,053,021 |
| 50 | Simon Franglen | $2,531,437,786 | 3 | $843,812,595 |
| 51 | Harald Kloser | $2,358,033,909 | 7 | $336,861,987 |
| 52 | Rolfe Kent | $2,357,688,110 | 42 | $56,135,431 |
| 53 | Rob Simonsen | $2,245,065,811 | 32 | $70,158,307 |
| 54 | Klaus Badelt | $2,168,773,384 | 30 | $72,292,446 |
| 55 | Joseph Bishara | $2,144,967,146 | 17 | $126,174,538 |
| 56 | Steven Price | $2,128,032,775 | 12 | $177,336,065 |
| 57 | Michael Andrews | $2,054,679,908 | 32 | $64,208,747 |
| 58 | Teddy Castellucci | $2,037,221,520 | 19 | $107,222,185 |
| 59 | George S. Clinton | $1,938,683,009 | 45 | $43,081,845 |
| 60 | Randy Edelman | $1,930,144,655 | 17 | $113,537,921 |
| 61 | Nicholas Hooper | $1,923,416,516 | 5 | $384,683,303 |
| 62 | George Fenton | $1,854,464,372 | 60 | $30,907,740 |
| 63 | Marc Shaiman | $1,852,557,327 | 16 | $115,784,833 |
| 64 | Geoff Zanelli | $1,849,300,175 | 22 | $84,059,099 |
| 65 | John Paesano | $1,814,715,733 | 13 | $139,593,518 |
| 66 | Pharrell Williams | $1,756,215,609 | 5 | $351,243,122 |
| 67 | Andrew Lockington | $1,702,027,334 | 15 | $113,468,489 |
| 68 | Andrea Datzman | $1,696,369,179 | 1 | $1,696,369,179 |
| 69 | Lalo Schifrin | $1,674,092,354 | 40 | $41,852,309 |
| 70 | Joby Talbot | $1,671,139,499 | 5 | $334,227,900 |
| 71 | Don Davis | $1,596,867,730 | 4 | $399,216,933 |
| 72 | Joseph Trapanese | $1,580,745,372 | 18 | $87,819,187 |
| 73 | Matthew Margeson | $1,545,219,108 | 11 | $140,474,464 |
| 74 | Lady Gaga | $1,463,641,406 | 1 | $1,463,641,406 |
| 75 | Basil Poledouris | $1,449,527,401 | 44 | $32,943,805 |
| 76 | Thomas Wander | $1,418,024,368 | 5 | $283,604,874 |
| 77 | Elliot Goldenthal | $1,410,837,065 | 10 | $141,083,707 |
| 78 | Hildur Guðnadóttir | $1,394,001,655 | 8 | $174,250,207 |
| 79 | Atticus Ross | $1,392,972,877 | 22 | $63,316,949 |
| 80 | Dominic Lewis | $1,390,915,301 | 11 | $126,446,846 |
| 81 | Marc Streitenfeld | $1,373,136,095 | 11 | $124,830,554 |
| 82 | David Holmes | $1,347,459,656 | 21 | $64,164,746 |
| 83 | Pinar Toprak | $1,331,370,566 | 4 | $332,842,642 |
| 84 | Elmer Bernstein | $1,283,849,661 | 18 | $71,324,981 |
| 85 | Lyle Workman | $1,282,065,403 | 12 | $106,838,784 |
| 86 | John Murphy | $1,258,461,433 | 8 | $157,307,679 |
| 87 | Steve Mazzaro | $1,249,641,275 | 5 | $249,928,255 |
| 88 | Rachel Portman | $1,202,427,448 | 24 | $50,101,144 |
| 89 | Jeff Danna | $1,171,619,329 | 10 | $117,161,933 |
| 90 | Kris Bowers | $1,141,938,833 | 16 | $71,371,177 |
| 91 | Eric Serra | $1,132,922,655 | 8 | $141,615,332 |
| 92 | Ennio Morricone | $1,126,854,455 | 29 | $38,857,050 |
| 93 | Trent Reznor | $1,126,718,238 | 12 | $93,893,187 |
| 94 | Jon Brion | $1,103,634,478 | 15 | $73,575,632 |
| 95 | David Buckley | $1,100,945,083 | 15 | $73,396,339 |
| 96 | Charlie Clouser | $1,075,540,307 | 12 | $89,628,359 |
| 97 | Edward Shearmur | $1,057,093,159 | 15 | $70,472,877 |
| 98 | Joel J. Richard | $1,026,336,447 | 4 | $256,584,112 |
| 99 | Clint Mansell | $1,016,472,633 | 26 | $39,095,101 |
| 100 | Nathaniel Mechaly | $1,016,306,069 | 8 | $127,038,259 |
This table is updated daily to reflect the latest studio reports.
Note: This chart is not adjusted for inflation.
Image attributions
Hans Zimmer: Richard Yaussi [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
John Williams: TashTish at en.wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
