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Box Office Star Records > International > Lifetime Specific Technical Role > Top International Composers
Top Grossing Composer at the International Box OfficeBETA
See also: Top Domestic Composers - Top International Art Directors - Top International Assistant Directors - Top International Associate Producers - Top International Casting Directors - Top International Cinematographers - Top International Co-Producers - Top International Costume Designers - Top International Dialogue Editors - Top International Directors - Top International Editors - Top International Executive Producers - Top International Make-up and Hair Designers - Top International Music Editors - Top International Music Supervisors - Top International Producers - Top International Production Designers - Top International Re-recording Mixers - Top International Screenwriters - Top International Set Decorators - Top International Set Designers - Top International Sound Designers - Top International Sound Effects Editors - Top International Sound Mixers - Top International Story Creators - Top International Stunt Coordinators - Top International Supervising Sound Editors - Top International Unit Production Managers - Top International Visual Effects Supervisors - Top Worldwide Composers
This list shows the highest grossing Composers based on the international 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 99 films. |
| Top films contributed to this record: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($804,600,000 in 2011), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ($654,000,000 in 2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ($642,900,000 in 2006), The Dark Knight Rises ($636,300,000 in 2012), The Lion King ($564,633,077 in 1994), The Da Vinci Code ($550,284,321 in 2006), Inception ($539,825,887 in 2010), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($537,800,000 in 2016), Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted ($530,529,789 in 2012), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($506,142,403 in 2014) |
2
John Williams
| Best known as a Composer based on credits in that role in 76 films. |
| Top films contributed to this record: Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens ($1,122,000,000 in 2015), Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi ($697,942,520 in 2017), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ($657,179,821 in 2001), Jurassic Park ($643,104,279 in 1993), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ($616,991,754 in 2002), Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace ($552,500,000 in 1999), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ($547,149,597 in 2004), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($469,534,294 in 2008), Star Wars Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith ($468,728,300 in 2005), Ready Player One ($435,099,916 in 2018) |
3
James Newton Howard
| Best known as a Composer based on credits in that role in 116 films. |
| Top films contributed to this record: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ($569,760,767 in 2016), Maleficent ($517,129,407 in 2014), The Dark Knight ($468,275,260 in 2008), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 ($429,516,403 in 2014), The Sixth Sense ($379,300,000 in 1999), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 ($368,799,525 in 2015), King Kong ($332,437,332 in 2005), I am Legend ($329,139,674 in 2007), The Hunger Games ($269,912,687 in 2012), Pretty Woman ($254,239,604 in 1990) |
Complete List
| Rank | Name | International Box Office |
Movies | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hans Zimmer | $16,573,918,778 | 99 | $167,413,321 |
| 2 | John Williams | $13,311,661,477 | 76 | $175,153,440 |
| 3 | James Newton Howard | $9,137,238,264 | 116 | $78,769,295 |
| 4 | Michael Giacchino | $8,771,309,580 | 36 | $243,647,488 |
| 5 | Danny Elfman | $8,349,649,176 | 94 | $88,826,055 |
| 6 | John Powell | $8,030,541,366 | 51 | $157,461,595 |
| 7 | Alan Silvestri | $7,965,483,568 | 90 | $88,505,373 |
| 8 | James Horner | $7,647,952,643 | 101 | $75,722,303 |
| 9 | Brian Tyler | $7,595,384,948 | 49 | $155,007,856 |
| 10 | Howard Shore | $6,362,525,280 | 63 | $100,992,465 |
| 11 | Henry Jackman | $5,636,899,722 | 28 | $201,317,847 |
| 12 | Harry Gregson-Williams | $5,399,621,432 | 48 | $112,492,113 |
| 13 | Alexandre Desplat | $4,947,229,241 | 47 | $105,260,197 |
| 14 | Thomas Newman | $4,814,243,871 | 77 | $62,522,648 |
| 15 | John Debney | $4,694,818,042 | 89 | $52,750,765 |
| 16 | Christophe Beck | $4,581,942,653 | 69 | $66,404,966 |
| 17 | Steve Jablonsky | $4,056,506,840 | 25 | $162,260,274 |
| 18 | Marco Beltrami | $3,826,964,086 | 59 | $64,863,798 |
| 19 | Heitor Pereira | $3,776,026,106 | 25 | $151,041,044 |
| 20 | Patrick Doyle | $3,108,796,070 | 46 | $67,582,523 |
| 21 | David Arnold | $3,045,522,393 | 23 | $132,414,017 |
| 22 | Randy Newman | $2,974,045,185 | 24 | $123,918,549 |
| 23 | Carter Burwell | $2,905,443,801 | 83 | $35,005,347 |
| 24 | Mark Mothersbaugh | $2,722,311,598 | 67 | $40,631,516 |
| 25 | Jerry Goldsmith | $2,630,483,731 | 104 | $25,293,113 |
| 26 | John Ottman | $2,458,773,772 | 31 | $79,315,283 |
| 27 | Trevor Rabin | $2,273,643,932 | 38 | $59,832,735 |
| 28 | Rupert Gregson-Williams | $2,210,386,926 | 28 | $78,942,390 |
| 29 | Mark Mancina | $2,104,721,064 | 27 | $77,952,632 |
| 30 | Tyler Bates | $2,067,002,633 | 38 | $54,394,806 |
| 31 | Alan Menken | $2,054,868,544 | 9 | $228,318,727 |
| 32 | Theodore Shapiro | $1,909,044,102 | 52 | $36,712,387 |
| 33 | David Newman | $1,877,082,032 | 75 | $25,027,760 |
| 34 | Ramin Djawadi | $1,876,054,427 | 19 | $98,739,707 |
| 35 | Christopher Young | $1,762,313,486 | 67 | $26,303,186 |
| 36 | Michael Kamen | $1,742,848,608 | 52 | $33,516,319 |
| 37 | Craig Armstrong | $1,645,034,747 | 26 | $63,270,567 |
| 38 | Harald Kloser | $1,582,993,103 | 5 | $316,598,621 |
| 39 | Lorne Balfe | $1,435,846,508 | 23 | $62,428,109 |
| 40 | Mychael Danna | $1,379,967,279 | 40 | $34,499,182 |
| 41 | Aaron Zigman | $1,303,800,078 | 48 | $27,162,502 |
| 42 | Nicholas Hooper | $1,292,271,333 | 5 | $258,454,267 |
| 43 | Mark Isham | $1,243,175,707 | 92 | $13,512,779 |
| 44 | Dario Marianelli | $1,216,306,818 | 25 | $48,652,273 |
| 45 | Christopher Lennertz | $1,215,413,209 | 28 | $43,407,615 |
| 46 | Graeme Revell | $1,139,370,828 | 71 | $16,047,476 |
| 47 | Andrew Lockington | $1,132,482,826 | 13 | $87,114,064 |
| 48 | Steven Price | $1,131,538,897 | 7 | $161,648,414 |
| 49 | Klaus Badelt | $1,087,371,434 | 30 | $36,245,714 |
| 50 | Junkie XL | $1,033,802,033 | 5 | $206,760,407 |
| 51 | Ludwig Goransson | $965,670,720 | 11 | $87,788,247 |
| 52 | John Paesano | $961,909,414 | 10 | $96,190,941 |
| 53 | Benjamin Wallfisch | $957,791,522 | 14 | $68,413,680 |
| 54 | Don Davis | $954,030,934 | 4 | $238,507,734 |
| 55 | Thomas Wander | $928,914,452 | 3 | $309,638,151 |
| 56 | Rolfe Kent | $878,749,081 | 39 | $22,532,028 |
| 57 | Matthew Margeson | $869,817,521 | 8 | $108,727,190 |
| 58 | Tom Holkenborg | $851,168,943 | 6 | $141,861,491 |
| 59 | Joseph Bishara | $831,204,023 | 9 | $92,356,003 |
| 60 | Geoff Zanelli | $824,859,158 | 14 | $58,918,511 |
| 61 | David Holmes | $795,222,725 | 16 | $49,701,420 |
| 62 | Eric Serra | $783,954,169 | 5 | $156,790,834 |
| 63 | Joseph Trapanese | $776,488,100 | 8 | $97,061,013 |
| 64 | Michael Andrews | $755,807,227 | 24 | $31,491,968 |
| 65 | George Fenton | $654,108,558 | 57 | $11,475,589 |
| 66 | Elliot Goldenthal | $652,853,272 | 8 | $81,606,659 |
| 67 | Joe Kraemer | $643,125,986 | 4 | $160,781,497 |
| 68 | Alberto Iglesias | $641,647,884 | 16 | $40,102,993 |
| 69 | Ilan Eshkeri | $637,129,215 | 18 | $35,396,068 |
| 70 | Randy Edelman | $622,616,024 | 10 | $62,261,602 |
| 71 | Teddy Castellucci | $607,673,783 | 19 | $31,982,831 |
| 72 | Lucas Vidal | $603,428,111 | 8 | $75,428,514 |
| 73 | Atticus Ross | $600,389,594 | 11 | $54,580,872 |
| 74 | Nathaniel Mechaly | $598,480,491 | 7 | $85,497,213 |
| 75 | Clint Mansell | $586,596,503 | 24 | $24,441,521 |
| 76 | George S. Clinton | $586,019,823 | 45 | $13,022,663 |
| 77 | Brad Fiedel | $570,973,311 | 5 | $114,194,662 |
| 78 | Charlie Clouser | $544,936,492 | 10 | $54,493,649 |
| 79 | Lyle Workman | $531,183,836 | 11 | $48,289,440 |
| 80 | Rachel Portman | $522,661,907 | 22 | $23,757,359 |
| 81 | Edward Shearmur | $497,564,803 | 13 | $38,274,216 |
| 82 | Marc Streitenfeld | $492,184,528 | 8 | $61,523,066 |
| 83 | Fernando Velazquez | $490,628,336 | 10 | $49,062,834 |
| 84 | Trent Reznor | $486,192,618 | 4 | $121,548,155 |
| 85 | Walter Murphy | $473,088,645 | 2 | $236,544,323 |
| 86 | Benny Andersson | $471,618,709 | 1 | $471,618,709 |
| 87 | Bjorn Ulvaeus | $471,618,709 | 1 | $471,618,709 |
| 88 | Joe Hisaishi | $468,658,413 | 4 | $117,164,603 |
| 89 | Basil Poledouris | $463,423,667 | 44 | $10,532,356 |
| 90 | Maurice Jarre | $463,423,001 | 4 | $115,855,750 |
| 91 | Gabriel Yared | $463,377,627 | 12 | $38,614,802 |
| 92 | Marc Shaiman | $453,986,679 | 14 | $32,427,620 |
| 93 | Robert Rodriguez | $445,337,821 | 9 | $49,481,980 |
| 94 | David Buckley | $441,490,765 | 10 | $44,149,077 |
| 95 | Jeff Danna | $437,469,802 | 7 | $62,495,686 |
| 96 | Atli Orvarsson | $437,269,332 | 11 | $39,751,757 |
| 97 | Paul Haslinger | $436,979,277 | 6 | $72,829,880 |
| 98 | Clint Eastwood | $427,144,340 | 8 | $53,393,043 |
| 99 | Ennio Morricone | $421,833,054 | 26 | $16,224,348 |
| 100 | Nathan Wang | $416,765,688 | 10 | $41,676,569 |
The International Market is defined as all territories excluding the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam.
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
James Newton Howard: By JNH et HZ.jpg: Yann de la marnederivative work: Butko [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
