2017 RANKING: 25
1. Ocean’s 8--139
2. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.--45
3. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword--39
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse--35 (12/16/18)
5. Molly’s Game-- 28
6. All the Money in the World--25
7. Steve Jobs--17
8. The Counselor--16
9. Gold--7
Pemberton had his first big hit this summer with Ocean’s 8 (replacing Nicholas Britell), and has another likely smash with the just-released Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
2017 RANKING: 18
1 EMMY, 2 NOMINATIONS
1 GRAMMY NOMINATION
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Frozen--400
2. The Hangover--277
3. The Hangover Part II--254
4. Ant-Man and the Wasp--216
5. Ant-Man--180
6. Trolls--153
7. Cheaper by the Dozen—137
8. The Peanuts Movie--130
9. The Hangover Part III--112
10. American Wedding—104
The Ant-Man sequel was an even bigger hit than the original and Beck’s score was a highlight (but sadly, with no CD release), while though he was originally announced to score the comedy Holmes & Watson, Mark Motherbaugh ended up with the assignment.
WHAT'S NEXT:
2017 RANKING: 19
2 EMMY NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEE: Hacksaw Ridge
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Wonder Woman--412
2. Grown Ups--162
3. Over the Hedge--155
4. Click--137
5. Grown Ups 2--133
6. Bee Movie--126
7. The Legend of Tarzan--126
8. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry--119
9. Bedtime Stories--109
10. Just Go With It--102
No big hits since Wonder Woman, but Aquaman is imminent.
WHAT’S NEXT: Aquaman
2017 RANKING: 33
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2--389
2. Guardians of the Galaxy--333
3. Deadpool 2-- 319
4. 300--210
5. Watchmen--107
6. John Wick: Chapter Two--92
7. The Day the Earth Stood Still--79
8. Dawn of the Dead--58
9. Halloween--58
10. Atomic Blonde--51
24 Hours to Live received only a limited release and The Spy Who Dumped Me did only modest business, but Deadpool 2 was one of the spring’s biggest hits, and he returns to the John Wick franchise next year.
WHAT’S NEXT: John Wick Chapter 3
2017: RANKING: 29
2 EMMY NOMINATIONS
1 GRAMMY
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout--220
2. Home--177
3. The Lego Batman Movie--175
4. Megamind--148
5. Terminator: Genisys--89
6. Penguins of Madagascar--83
7. Son of God--59
8. Pacific Rim Uprising – 59
9. 13 Hours--52
10. The Dilemma--48
Balfe’s extremely prolific output of late ranges from the B-movie pleasures of The Hurricane Heist and Pacific Rim: Uprising to one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters, Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
2017 RANKING: 20
1 EMMY NOMINATION
1 GRAMMY NOMINATION
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: Hidden Figures
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. It--327
2. Hidden Figures--169
3. Annabelle: Creation--102
4. Blade Runner 2049--92
5. Lights Out--67
6. The Darkest Minds--12
7. A Cure for Wellness--8
Wallfisch wasn’t able to top his 2017 streak (Hidden Figures, It, Annabelle: Creation, Blade Runner 2049) in 2018, but he has a big superhero movie due this spring.
WHAT’S NEXT: Shazam
2017 RANKING: 13
2 EMMY NOMINATIONS
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron--459
2. Iron Man 3--408
3. Furious 7--353
4. The Fate of the Furious--225
5. Fast Five--209
6. Thor: The Dark World--206
7. Crazy Rich Asians--174 (12/16/18)
8. Fast & Furious--155
9. Now You See Me--117
10. The Expendables--102
Tyler had his biggest outside-the-action-adventure-genre hit this year with the romcom smash Crazy Rich Asians, which made help garner him more people-oriented assignments (and just got him short-listed for an Original Score nomination).
WHAT’S NEXT: Escape Room, Five Feet Apart, Ready or Not, What Men Want
2017 RANKING: 10
2 OSCAR NOMINATIONS
2 EMMYS
4 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEE: Forrest Gump
1. Avengers: Infinity War--678
2. Marvel’s The Avengers--623
3. Forrest Gump--329
4. Night at the Museum--250
5. Cast Away--233
6. Back to the Future--208
7. The Mummy Returns--202
8. The Croods--187
9. The Polar Express--183
10. What Women Want--182
Avengers: Infinity War was one of the year’s biggest, and he has the sequel due next year. Ready Player One may have been a relative box-office disappointment, but at least he got to score a Spielberg film, something few composers can claim. (As I finish this column, Silvestri was short-listed in the Original Score category for both Avengers: Infinity War and Ready Player One.)
WHAT’S NEXT: Avengers: Endgame, Welcome to Marwen
2017 RANKING: 15
2 OSCAR NOMINATIONS
2 EMMY NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEE: The Hurt Locker
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Logan-- 226
2. World War Z--202
3. A Quiet Place--188
4. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines--150
5. I, Robot--144
6. Live Free or Die Hard--134
7. The Wolverine--132
8. Scream--103
9. Scream 2--101
10. Scream 3--89
Beltrami’s year began with a blockbuster sci-fi horror hit that was also a critical smash (and just got him short-listed for an Original Score nomination), and ends with a high-grossing ($10 million to date) mountain climbing documentary.
2017 RANKING: 17
1 OSCAR NOMINATION
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: The Big Short, Moonlight
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. The Big Short--70
2. Moonlight--27
3. Free State of Jones--20
4. Battle of the Sexes--12
Britell’s first shot at a traditional summer smash fell through when he was replaced on the hit Ocean’s 8, but this season he has two major Oscar contenders, If Beale Street Could Talk and Vice, and his score for the former is considered a likely nominee (and both scores were both short-listed for an Oscar nomination)
WHAT’S NEXT: Vice
2017 RANKING: 9
1 OSCAR NOMINATION
1 EMMY, 2 NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: Fargo, No Country for Old Men, The Blind Side, A Serious Man, The Kids Are All Right, True Grit, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
1. Breaking Dawn, Part 2--292
2. Breaking Dawn, Part 1--281
3. The Blind Side--255
4. Twilight--191
5. True Grit--171
6. The General's Daughter--102
7. Where the Wild Things Are--77
8. Conspiracy Theory--76
9. The Rookie--75
10. No Country for Old Men--74
It’s been a few years since Burwell has a major box-office hit, but early this year he earned his second Oscar nomination, for Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri. His latest collaboration with the Coens, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, features arguably his best score in years (and was just short-listed for an Original Score nomination), but the film’s status as a Netflix production means its box-office prospects are limited.
2017 RANKING: 11
5 EMMY NOMINATIONS
1 GRAMMY NOMINATION
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Thor: Ragnarok--315
2. The LEGO Movie--257
3. 22 Jump Street--191
4. Pitch Perfect 2--184
5. Hotel Transylvania 2--169
6. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation--167
7. Hotel Transylvania--148
8. 21 Jump Street--138
9. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked--132
10. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs--124
The latest Hotel Transvylania proved to be another family-friendly hit and even spawned a score CD. Next up is a comedic take on Holmes & Watson and a Lego Movie sequel
WHAT’S NEXT: Holmes & Watson, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
2017 RANKING: 35
4 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Black Panther--700
2. Venom--212 (12/16/18)
3. We’re the Millers--150
4. Central Intelligence--127
5. Creed--109
6. Creed II--104 (12/16/18)
7. 30 Minutes or Less--37
8. Everything, Everything--34
9. Death Wish--34
10. Top Five--25
This year Goransson had the highest grossing movie (just short-listed for Original Score), two other smash hits, and multiple Grammy nominations for his non-film work. What I’m trying to say is that it’s all pretty much downhill from here.
2017 RANKING: 6
14 OSCAR NOMINATIONS
1 EMMY, 2 NOMINATIONS
3 GRAMMYS, 8 NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: Scent of a Woman, The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, The Green Mile, Erin Brockovich, The Help, Bridge of Spies
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Finding Dory--486
2. Finding Nemo--380
3. Skyfall--304
4. WALL-E--223
5. Spectre--200
6. The Help--169
7. The Green Mile--136
8. American Beauty--130
9. Erin Brockovich--125
10. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events--118
Newman’s credit did not appear on any 2018 films, though he is rumored to have scored Steven Soderbergh’s micro-budget thriller Unsane under the name “David Wilder Savage.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Tolkien
2017 RANKING: 5
5 OSCARS, 51 NOMINATIONS
2 EMMYS, 4 NOMINATIONS
20 GRAMMYS, 60 NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: Fiddler on the Roof, The Towering Inferno, Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, War Horse, Lincoln, The Post
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens--936
2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi--620
3. The Phantom Menace--474
4. Star Wars--460
5. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial--434
6. Jurassic Park--402
7. Revenge of the Sith--380
8. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull--317
9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone--316
10. Attack of the Clones--310
No new films in 2018, but The Last Jedi became the second highest grossing film of Williams’ blockbuster laden-career, while The Post was yet another Best Picture nominee for the Williams-Spielberg team.
WHAT’S NEXT: Star Wars: Episode 9
2017 RANKING: 8
BEST PICTURE NOMINEE: Captain Phillips
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Captain America: Civil War--408
2. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle--404
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier--259
4. Big Hero 6--222
5. Monsters vs. Aliens--198
6. Wreck-It Ralph--189
7. Kong: Skull Island--167
8. Ralph Breaks the Internet--154 (12/16/18)
9. Puss in Boots--149
10. X-Men: First Class--146
The Jumanji sequel/reboot was a huge Christmas hit, while his Wreck-It Ralph sequel may surpass the original at the box-office.
2017 RANKING: 7
8 OSCAR NOMINATIONS
1 EMMY, 3 NOMINATIONS
1 GRAMMY, 3 NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: The Prince of Tides, The Fugitive, The Sixth Sense, Michael Clayton
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. The Dark Knight--533
2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire--424
3. The Hunger Games--407
4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 1--337
5. The Sixth Sense--293
6. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 2--281
7. I Am Legend--256
8. Maleficent--241
9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them-- 234
10. Signs--227
His latest is the second Fantastic Beasts, which is doing reasonable but not Harry Potter business (but just put him on the short-list for an Original Score nomination). The Nutcracker and the Four Realms was a troubled production (two directors!) while Red Sparrow had one of his best scores in years. Someday I will get over my disappointment that he is not scoring the Unbreakable sequel Glass, but today is not that day.
2017 RANKING: 4
4 OSCAR NOMINATIONS
1 EMMY, 2 NOMINATIONS
9 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: Good Will Hunting, Chicago, Milk, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron--459
2. Spider-Man--403
3. Spider-Man 2--373
4. Alice in Wonderland--334
5. Batman--251
6. Men in Black--250
7. Dr. Suess’ The Grinch--239 (12/16/18)
8. Oz: The Great and Powerful--234
9. Justice League--229
10. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—206
2018 output ranged from Gus Van Sant’s Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot to the hit animated Grinch remake, as well as the last (thank Heavens) Fifty Shades film. Next is Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo, ‘cause the mouse needs money.
WHAT’S NEXT: Dumbo
2017 RANKING: 3
1 OSCAR, 2 NOMINATIONS
1 EMMY, 5 NOMINATIONS
3 GRAMMYS, 8 NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEE: Up
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Jurassic World--652
2. Incredibles 2--608
3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story--532
4. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom--416
5. Inside Out--356
6. Zootopia--341
7. Spider-Man: Homecoming--334
8. Up--292
9. The Incredibles--261
10. Star Trek--257
Another blockbuster year, including the highest-grossing (in the U.S.) animated film of all time.
2017 RANKING: 2
1 OSCAR, 11 NOMINATIONS
2 EMMY NOMINATIONS
4 GRAMMYS, 14 NOMINATIONS
1 TONY NOMINATION
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, As Good As It Gets, The Thin Red Line, Gladiator, Frost/Nixon, Inception, 12 Years a Slave, Hidden Figures, Dunkirk
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. The Dark Knight--533
2. The Dark Knight Rises--448
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest--423
4. The Lion King--422
5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice--330
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End--309
7. Inception--292
8. Man of Steel--291
9. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides--241
10. The Da Vinci Code—217
No blockbusters this year, but a prime piece of Oscar bait with Widows. Next year we’ll see if the “live-action” Lion King can do Jungle Book-sized business.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Lion King
2017 RANKING: 1
1 OSCAR, 9 NOMINATIONS
2 GRAMMYS, 10 NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: The Queen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The King's Speech, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Tree of Life, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, Philomena, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Shape of Water
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2--380
2. The Secret Life of Pets--368
3. New Moon--296
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1--294
5. Godzilla--200
6 The King's Speech--138
7. Argo--136
8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button--127
9. Unbroken--115
10. Rise of the Guardians--103
No big hits this year, but with a second Oscar and a third Best Picture winner (and just short-listed for Isle of Dogs), I think he’s doing OK.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Secret Life of Pets 2
