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 photo
Hans Zimmer
Best known as a Composer based on credits in that role in 113 films.
Top films contributed to this record: The Lion King ($1,661,454,403 in 2019), Top Gun: Maverick ($1,454,001,110 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 ($1,010,086,005 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 ($874,360,194 in 2016), Inception ($826,873,382 in 2010)

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  2
John Williams photo
John Williams
Best known as a Composer based on credits in that role in 79 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 ($1,046,513,456 in 1999), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ($962,575,067 in 2001), Star Wars Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith ($902,891,983 in 2005), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ($876,145,955 in 2002), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ($797,307,407 in 1982), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($786,635,413 in 2008)

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  3
Michael Giacchino
Best known as a Composer based on credits in that role in 46 films.
Top films contributed to this record: Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1,921,206,586 in 2021), Jurassic World ($1,669,927,641 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 ($1,025,485,003 in 2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming ($878,852,749 in 2017), Inside Out ($850,309,035 in 2015), Coco ($796,397,165 in 2017)

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Complete List

Rank Name Worldwide
Box Office
Movies Average
1 Hans Zimmer $34,458,640,984 113 $304,943,726
2 John Williams $25,614,009,133 79 $324,227,964
3 Michael Giacchino $21,911,319,454 46 $476,333,032
4 James Newton Howard $19,357,270,127 123 $157,376,180
5 Alan Silvestri $18,814,149,532 93 $202,302,683
6 Danny Elfman $18,449,096,483 98 $188,256,087
7 John Powell $14,990,643,885 55 $272,557,162
8 Brian Tyler $14,803,457,861 63 $234,975,522
9 James Horner $13,990,985,978 101 $138,524,614
10 Christophe Beck $12,036,230,495 76 $158,371,454
11 Henry Jackman $11,050,039,651 38 $290,790,517
12 John Debney $10,765,006,229 101 $106,584,220
13 Howard Shore $10,674,971,044 68 $156,984,868
14 Harry Gregson-Williams $10,196,626,337 54 $188,826,414
15 Thomas Newman $10,181,646,589 87 $117,030,421
16 Alexandre Desplat $9,424,738,434 62 $152,011,910
17 Heitor Pereira $8,775,297,616 31 $283,074,117
18 Lorne Balfe $8,025,660,515 44 $182,401,375
19 Mark Mothersbaugh $7,692,188,562 73 $105,372,446
20 Marco Beltrami $7,463,575,048 69 $108,167,754
21 Steve Jablonsky $7,032,363,488 29 $242,495,293
22 Randy Newman $6,963,696,945 24 $290,154,039
23 Jerry Goldsmith $6,487,318,286 107 $60,629,143
24 Tyler Bates $6,280,824,973 47 $133,634,574
25 Rupert Gregson-Williams $6,247,408,002 32 $195,231,500
26 Carter Burwell $6,007,366,052 89 $67,498,495
27 Tom Holkenborg $5,873,939,954 24 $244,747,498
28 Ludwig Göransson $5,826,389,219 18 $323,688,290
29 Alan Menken $5,503,573,931 13 $423,351,841
30 David Newman $5,310,444,681 76 $69,874,272
31 John Ottman $5,292,397,457 32 $165,387,421
32 Patrick Doyle $5,139,051,700 47 $109,341,526
33 David Arnold $5,024,239,058 25 $200,969,562
34 Mark Mancina $4,946,789,858 30 $164,892,995
35 Theodore Shapiro $4,802,418,559 62 $77,458,364
36 Trevor Rabin $4,648,587,862 39 $119,194,561
37 Benjamin Wallfisch $4,108,667,940 30 $136,955,598
38 Michael Kamen $3,905,847,585 53 $73,695,237
39 Christopher Young $3,752,145,331 70 $53,602,076
40 Ramin Djawadi $3,643,972,866 23 $158,433,603
41 Mark Isham $3,601,869,443 99 $36,382,520
42 Christopher Lennertz $3,426,831,853 36 $95,189,774
43 Aaron Zigman $3,114,259,339 48 $64,880,403
44 Mychael Danna $3,080,878,479 51 $60,409,382
45 Graeme Revell $3,037,123,381 72 $42,182,269
46 Dario Marianelli $2,859,331,196 32 $89,354,100
47 Craig Armstrong $2,684,635,880 28 $95,879,853
48 Harold Faltermeyer $2,683,902,203 13 $206,454,016
49 Daniel Pemberton $2,602,520,855 23 $113,153,081
50 Simon Franglen $2,534,173,681 3 $844,724,560
51 Rob Simonsen $2,389,470,576 35 $68,270,588
52 Harald Kloser $2,358,033,909 7 $336,861,987
53 Rolfe Kent $2,357,351,440 44 $53,576,169
54 Klaus Badelt $2,203,571,950 31 $71,082,966
55 Joseph Bishara $2,162,543,330 17 $127,208,431
56 Steven Price $2,132,242,233 14 $152,303,017
57 Michael Andrews $2,059,673,501 32 $64,364,797
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 $1,930,338,827 17 $113,549,343
61 Nicholas Hooper $1,923,812,683 5 $384,762,537
62 Marc Shaiman $1,888,012,420 17 $111,059,554
63 George Fenton $1,853,964,886 60 $30,899,415
64 Geoff Zanelli $1,849,300,175 22 $84,059,099
65 Dan Romer $1,828,795,349 17 $107,576,197
66 John Paesano $1,814,701,322 13 $139,592,409
67 Pharrell Williams $1,762,802,458 4 $440,700,615
68 Andrew Lockington $1,720,540,643 15 $114,702,710
69 Andrea Datzman $1,698,831,782 1 $1,698,831,782
70 Lalo Schifrin $1,695,095,158 42 $40,359,409
71 Joby Talbot $1,676,850,210 5 $335,370,042
72 Don Davis $1,596,867,730 4 $399,216,933
73 Joseph Trapanese $1,582,813,884 19 $83,305,994
74 Matthew Margeson $1,545,219,108 11 $140,474,464
75 Dominic Lewis $1,519,585,861 13 $116,891,220
76 Lady Gaga $1,454,001,110 1 $1,454,001,110
77 Basil Poledouris $1,449,512,495 44 $32,943,466
78 Thomas Wander $1,418,024,368 5 $283,604,874
79 Hildur Guðnadóttir $1,415,239,461 8 $176,904,933
80 Elliot Goldenthal $1,411,073,670 10 $141,107,367
81 Atticus Ross $1,402,779,950 23 $60,990,433
82 David Holmes $1,390,566,441 22 $63,207,566
83 Marc Streitenfeld $1,373,126,977 11 $124,829,725
84 Pinar Toprak $1,331,334,389 4 $332,833,597
85 Elmer Bernstein $1,301,850,842 20 $65,092,542
86 Lyle Workman $1,282,065,403 13 $98,620,416
87 John Murphy $1,258,548,466 9 $139,838,718
88 Steve Mazzaro $1,249,508,960 5 $249,901,792
89 Kris Bowers $1,232,752,441 16 $77,047,028
90 Rachel Portman $1,202,427,448 24 $50,101,144
91 Jeff Danna $1,171,945,176 10 $117,194,518
92 Eric Serra $1,169,321,114 9 $129,924,568
93 Joel J. Richard $1,159,992,626 5 $231,998,525
94 Ennio Morricone $1,142,039,549 30 $38,067,985
95 Jon Brion $1,140,539,583 16 $71,283,724
96 Trent Reznor $1,136,525,311 13 $87,425,024
97 David Buckley $1,112,610,099 16 $69,538,131
98 Edward Shearmur $1,095,251,760 16 $68,453,235
99 Charlie Clouser $1,075,540,307 12 $89,628,359
100 Opetaia Tavita Foa’i $1,059,161,122 1 $1,059,161,122

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