Best soundtracks by year
Here’s an updated version of this list. I have added soundtracks that I heard first in 2021. The big winner of 2021 (so far) is Mark Mothersbaugh for his delightful The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
As for movies from previous years that I added, the big news is that Alexandre Desplat is now the winner in 2019 for Little Women.
As for the all-time winners, here’s the top of the list: John Williams has 8 wins, John Barry has 7, Jerry Goldsmith has 6, and Henry Mancini has 5.
| Year | Winner | Runner Ups | Honourable Mentions |
| 2021 | The Mitchells vs. the Machines | ||
| 2020 | Enola Holmes | Emma. | Onward |
| Knives Out | The Queen’s Gambit | ||
| Rams | The Willoughbys | ||
| Soul | Wonder Woman 1984 | ||
| 2019 | Little Women | The Aeronauts | Batman: Hush |
| Avengers: Endgame | Captain Marvel | ||
| How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | Frozen II | ||
| Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | Missing Link | ||
| Parasite | A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon | ||
| Spider-man: From from Home | Shazam! | ||
| Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Tolkien | ||
| Toy Story 4 | |||
| 2018 | Mission: Impossible — Fallout | Avengers: Infinity War | Bad Times at the El Royale |
| Isle of Dogs | Freaks | ||
| Ocean’s Eight | Incredibles 2 | ||
| Solo: A Star Wars Story | |||
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Justice League | Blade Runner 2049 |
| Pitch Perfect 3 | Murder on the Orient Express | ||
| Spider-man: Homecoming | Thor: Ragnarok | ||
| War for the Planet of the Apes | Wonder Woman | ||
| 2016 | Star Trek Beyond | Arrival | Batman v Superman |
| Captain America: Civil War | Captain Fantastic | ||
| La La Land | The Light Between Oceans | ||
| Passengers | Race | ||
| Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | X-Men: Apocalypse | ||
| Zootopia | |||
| 2015 | Tomorrowland | The Good Dinosaur | Ant-Man |
| Inside Out | Avengers: Age of Ultron | ||
| Mad Max: Fury Road | Jurassic World | ||
| The Man from UNCLE | Mr. Holmes | ||
| The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Pitch Perfect 2 | ||
| Shaun the Sheep Movie | Spectre | ||
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | The Walk | ||
| 2014 | Edge of Tomorrow | The Boxtrolls | The Imitation Game |
| Maleficent | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | Guardians of the Galaxy | |
| The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | The Penguins of Madagascar | ||
| How to Train Your Dragon 2 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | ||
| Interstellar | |||
| 2013 | Saving Mr. Banks | Belle | About Time |
| Despicable Me 2 | The Croods | ||
| The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Frozen | ||
| Man of Steel | Snowpiercer | ||
| Star Trek Into Darkness | Thor: The Dark World | ||
| 2012 | Skyfall | The Avengers | Cloud Atlas |
| The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Moonrise Kingdom | ||
| Brave | Pitch Perfect | ||
| The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Sherlock — Series 1 | ||
| Prometheus | Snow White and the Huntsman | ||
| 2011 | The Way Back | Captain America | Hugo |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | The King’s Speech | ||
| One Day | Rango | ||
| X-Men: First Class | Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | ||
| Thor | |||
| 2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | Alice in Wonderland | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 |
| Inception | Iron Man 2 | ||
| Lost — The Final Season | RED | ||
| Never Let Me Go | Salt | ||
| Robin Hood | True Grit | ||
| Toy Story 3 | |||
| 2009 | Star Trek | Avatar | An Education |
| Up | Coraline | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | |
| Fantastic Mr. Fox | Moon | ||
| Lost — Season 4 | Where the Wild Things Are | ||
| Sherlock Holmes | |||
| 2008 | WALL-E | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Score | Changeling |
| The Dark Knight | Hancock | ||
| Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog | Quantum of Solace | ||
| Lost — Season 3 | Revolutionary Road | ||
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | The X-Files: I Want to Believe | ||
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Atonement | The Bourne Ultimatum |
| Enchanted | Juno | ||
| Stardust | Ocean’s Thirteen | ||
| Ratatouille | |||
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | Casino Royale | The Da Vinci Code |
| The Illusionist | Lady in the Water | ||
| The Incredibles | Seraphim Falls | ||
| The Lake House | Wah-Wah | ||
| Lost — Season 2 | X-Men: The Last Stand | ||
| 2005 | Inside Man | Batman Begins | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
| Firefly | Memoirs of a Geisha | ||
| Madagascar | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | ||
| Serenity | Pride & Prejudice | ||
| Water | |||
| 2004 | A Very Long Engagement | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | The Bourne Supremacy |
| Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events | National Treasure | ||
| The Village | Ocean’s Twelve | ||
| The Terminal | |||
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Big Fish | The Last Samurai |
| Finding Nemo | Matchstick Men | ||
| The Italian Job | Mona Lisa Smile | ||
| Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | School of Rock | ||
| The Triplets of Belleville | X-Men 2 | ||
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, With Feeling | The Bourne Identity |
| Chicago | Catch Me If You Can | ||
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone | Spider-Man | ||
| Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones | Star Trek: Nemesis | ||
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Amelie | Donnie Darko |
| Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Legally Blonde | ||
| Monsoon Wedding | Moulin Rouge! | ||
| Monsters, Inc. | Ocean’s Eleven | ||
| Planet of the Apes | Pearl Harbor | ||
| Shrek | |||
| 2000 | Chicken Run | Cast Away | Chocolat |
| Gladiator | Requiem for a Dream | ||
| O Brother, Where Art Thou? | |||
| 1999 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | American Beauty | The Green Mile |
| Star Trek: Insurrection | Instinct | ||
| Toy Story 2 | The Matrix | ||
| The World is Not Enough | The Sixth Sense | ||
| 1998 | Dark City | Antz | Circle of Friends |
| A Bug’s Life | Crusoe | ||
| The Horse Whisperer | Highlander | ||
| Life is Beautiful | The Mask of Zorro | ||
| Pleasantville | Shakespeare in Love | ||
| The Truman Show | The X-Files | ||
| 1997 | The Sweet Hereafter | The Fifth Element | Alien Resurrection |
| The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Air Force One | ||
| Titanic | Contact | ||
| Tomorrow Never Dies | Men in Black | ||
| The Winter Guest | |||
| 1996 | Star Trek: First Contact | Dragonheart | Mission: Impossible |
| The Rock | |||
| 1995 | Apollo 13 | Babe | Batman Forever |
| Toy Story | Braveheart | Mr. Holland’s Opus | |
| GoldenEye | Sense and Sensibility | ||
| 1994 | Star Trek Generations | Don Juan DeMarco | Black Beauty |
| Ed Wood | It Could Happen to You | ||
| Forrest Gump | Legends of the Fall | ||
| The Lion King | The Shawshank Redemption | ||
| Maverick | Wolf | ||
| Stargate | |||
| 1993 | Jurassic Park | Benny & Joon | Addams Family Values |
| The Nightmare Before Christmas | Dave | ||
| Sommersby | Groundhog Day | ||
| 1992 | Medicine Man | Batman Returns | Alien3 |
| Strictly Ballroom | Death Becomes Her | ||
| Scent of a Woman | |||
| 1991 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | Backdraft | The Addams Family |
| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey | ||
| Hook | |||
| 1990 | Dances With Wolves | Awakenings | Dick Tracy |
| Back to the Future Part III | Gremlins 2 | ||
| Edward Scissorhands | The Hunt for Red October | ||
| Quigley Down Under | The Russia House | ||
| 1989 | Batman | Back to the Future Part II | The Abyss |
| Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | Field of Dreams | Dead Poets Society | |
| Licence to Kill | Driving Miss Daisy | ||
| The Mission | Henry V | ||
| 1988 | Willow | Beetlejuice | Hot to Trot |
| Powaqqatsi | Rain Man | ||
| Scrooged | Working Girl | ||
| 1987 | Crocodile Dundee | La Bamba | The Untouchables |
| The Living Daylights | |||
| 1986 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | Aliens | The Delta Force |
| Labyrinth | |||
| 1985 | Brazil | Back to the Future | Clue |
| A Chorus Line | Cocoon | ||
| Pee Wee’s Big Adventure | The Goonies | ||
| A View to a Kill | Out of Africa | ||
| Witness | Young Sherlock Holmes | ||
| 1984 | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | Ghostbusters | Footloose |
| Gremlins | Supergirl | ||
| Once Upon a Time in America | |||
| 1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | Octopussy | Never Say Never Again |
| 1982 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | Blade Runner | |
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | For Your Eyes Only | |
| 1980 | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | ||
| 1979 | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | Alien | 1941 |
| The Great Train Robbery | Moonraker | ||
| The Muppet Movie | |||
| 1978 | Superman: The Movie | Grease | |
| 1977 | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | The Spy Who Loved Me | Close Encounters of the Third Kind |
| Saturday Night Fever | |||
| 1976 | The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Midway | |
| 1975 | The Return of the Pink Panther | Jaws | |
| 1974 | The Man with the Golden Gun | ||
| 1973 | Live and Let Die | Battle for the Planet of the Apes | |
| 1972 | The Godfather | Conquest of the Planet of the Apes | |
| 1971 | Diamonds Are Forever | Escape from the Planet of the Apes | Wild Rovers |
| Fiddler on the Roof | |||
| 1970 | Beneath the Planet of the Apes | ||
| 1969 | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | Midnight Cowboy | |
| 1968 | Planet of the Apes | The Lion in Winter | |
| 1967 | You Only Live Twice | Casino Royale | |
| 1966 | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | Born Free | |
| 1965 | Thunderball | The Sound of Music | |
| 1964 | Goldfinger | Mary Poppins | A Shot in the Dark |
| My Fair Lady | Zulu | ||
| 1963 | The Pink Panther | From Russia with Love | The Great Escape |
| 1962 | Hatari! | Dr. No | |
| 1961 | West Side Story | ||
| 1960 | The Magnificent Seven | Never on Sunday | |
| 1959 | Peter Gunn |