It's relatively common to see lists of the highest-grossing movies of all time, or even the highest-grossing actors and directors. But it's good to remember that filmmaking is a much more sprawling team effort, and one of the most important cogs in the machine is the composer, who creates the musical landscape of the movie.
Some of the most popular composers of all time, like John Williams and Danny Elfman, can be counted among the highest-grossing at the worldwide box office, and deservedly so. After all, the music can make or break a film's tone and atmosphere.
10) Christophe Beck Can Bend His Artistic Identity
Entering the mainstream with his Emmy-winning work on the popular TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christophe Beck has gone on to work in all sorts of diverse projects, from Frozen to the MCU's Ant-Man films.
Beck possesses the priceless quality of versatility. He can bend and adapt his style to whatever film he may be working on, whether it's a simple comedy or a large-scale action adventure, creating music that's mature, carefully thought out, and incredibly catchy. Because of this, his movies have made $11,412,486,016 USD worldwide.
9) Brian Tyler Is an Acclaimed Multi-Instrumentalist With a Colorful Background
Brian Tyler isn't only the mind behind the Formula 1 theme, he's also an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist who has worked on blockbusters like various Fast & Furious movies, Iron Man 3, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Tyler finds movies that speak to him on a personal level and translates their heart into creative, fresh scores. His works have earned an admirable $12,619,969,284 dollars across the globe, thanks to his unique artistic voice.
8) James Horner Created Subtle But Epic Soundscapes
The late James Horner was a musical prodigy since childhood. In his professional years, he left audiences with scores as legendary and iconic as those of Titanic, Avatar, and Braveheart.
Horner was nominated for seven Oscars and won two, proving his talent for the craft. His music is emotionally moving, often epic in scale but also with a very profound and subtle dimension of contemplation and careful scene-building. The movies that his amazing work was a part of earned a grand total of $13,887,673,224 USD at the box office.
7) John Powell Masterfully Works With Fire
Starting out as an apprentice of Hans Zimmer (with whom he collaborated on a few movies), the great John Powell has scored over 70 films, from action cult classics like Face/Off to sci-fi blockbusters like Solo: A Star Wars Story, and perhaps most notably the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, having been nominated for an Oscar for the first one (which is undoubtedly one of the best scores of the 2010s).
Powell is incredibly passionate for telling stories through music. His work tends to have a very modern feel to it, but he can also prove the wonders than an orchestra can do. Showing his talent, his movies have made $14,362,279,264 at the box office.
6) Danny Elfman Is More Than Just Tim Burton's Favorite
Four-time Oscar nominee Danny Elfman, who's best known for frequently collaborating with director Tim Burton on films like Batman and Edward Scissorhands, has also done terrific work on the likes of Men in Black and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 1 and 2.
Elfman has had one of the most prolific and acclaimed trajectories of any film composer in history. His style is unmistakably distinctive, with a dark and quirky nature that has earned the films he's worked on a staggering $17,940,926,388 dollars worldwide.
5) Alan Silvestri is a Legendary Composer With Iconic Trademarks
With classics both old and modern under his belt, from Forrest Gump and Back to the Future (which was criminally snubbed at the Oscars) to MCU films like The Avengers, Infinity War, and Endgame, Alan Silvestri is one of the most easily recognizable voices in the realm of film scoring.
When composing, Silvestri's priority is always the deepest message of the film. He has an intuitive understanding of music and story that helps him create iconic scores that are always instantly recognizable. You can always trust that his films will have some amazing music, and for that, they have made $18,859,793,242 dollars across the globe.
4) James Newton Howard Sees Songwriting as Storytelling
No one tells stories with music quite like James Newton Howard, who has been nominated for an Oscar an amazing nine times. He's best known for movies like The Dark Knight, The Fugitive, and the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Howard is proud of not having what some would call a clear defining sound, since it has allowed him to change and adapt depending on the kind of film that he's composing for. His efforts have made $19,330,208,126 dollars at the worldwide box office, a more than respectable number for an incredibly dedicated artist.
3) Michael Giacchino Is a Franchise Composer Like No Other
Like all great composers, Michael Giacchino has worked on a vast variety of films, from The Incredibles and Up (the latter fo which earned him an Oscar) to The Batman and Rogue One.
Giacchino got his start on videogames and has also worked on television. His vast experience is reflected in the chameleonic work he does for movies; his clever use of instruments is unparalleled, and his understanding of the tone of each film he works on is flawless. A jaw-dropping $21,870,384,816 USD is what his work has made worldwide.
2) John Williams: The Man, the Myth, the Legend
John Williams needs no introduction. He has been nominated for 52 Oscars (the 2nd most highly nominated individual, only behind Walt Disney), but his biggest accolade is having composed multiple of the most memorable scores of all time, from Star Wars to Jurassic Park and the first three Harry Potter movies.
Williams's style and body of work are so legendary that he has transcended the world of movies: He will most likely be remembered among the likes of Beethoven and Mozart as one of the greatest musicians to ever live. Proof of this is the $25,514,107,549 USD that his movies have made across the world.
1) Hans Zimmer Is the Godfather of Modern Movie Score Composing
If there's any musician worthy of topping John Williams, that's 12-time Oscar nominee Hans Zimmer. Having worked on over two hundred movie and TV scores over his productive career, such as Dune, Inception, and The Lion King, he has arguably never produced a single piece of work that isn't outstanding.
Zimmer has one of the most unique and recognizable musical styles in all of cinema, without ever losing the versatility and adaptability that make him so prolific. His scores are evocative, hauntingly beautiful, and often revolutionary. He is definitely deserving of being the highest-grossing film composer of all time, with movies that have made $31,891,972,305 dollars worldwide.