Top 20 Grossing Box Office Composers

Since the introduction of sound to movies, the film’s music and score have become an essential part of the movie experience. When a score works well, it communicates that which is unspoken, it tells us the mood, it foreshadows, it tells us what the world sounds like, and it sets the tone and feel for the film.

Unlike a soundtrack (a selection of recorded songs accompanying a film), a film score is original music written by a composer hired for the production and almost always includes an orchestra or group of musicians. The music heightens the film’s emotion and transports moviegoers into the cinematic world on the big screen.

So, who are the top-grossing film composers at the worldwide box office? Here’s the top 20 list, as listed by the-numbers.com.

20        Steve Jablonsky – $6.9 billion

19        Randy Newman – $6.9 billion

18        Heitor Pereira – $7.2 billion   

17        Marco Beltrami – $7.4 billion 

16        Alexandre Desplat – $8.9 billion        

15        Thomas Newman – $9.5 billion          

14        Harry Gregson-Williams – $10.1 billion

13        John Debney – $10.4 billion   

12        Howard Shore – $10.6 billion

11        Henry Jackman – $10.7 billion

10        Christophe Beck – $11.4 billion

9          Brian Tyler       $12.6 billion   

8          James Horner – $13.9 billion  

7          John Powell – $14.3 billion     

6          Danny Elfman – $17.9 billion 

5          Alan Silvestri – $18.8 billion

4          James Newton Howard – $19.3 billion

3          Michael Giacchino – $21.8 billion      

2          John Williams – $25.5 billion  

1          Hans Zimmer – $31.8 billion