Dune Composer Hans Zimmer's Net Worth Is Outrageous Thanks To His Best Film Scores

Highlights

• Hans Zimmer's composed scores for Dune and Dune: Part Two which helped increase his already impressive net worth to $200 million.
• Despite not working for money, Zimmer earns up to $2 million composing film scores.
• Zimmer's focus on female voices in film scores adds a consistent and recognizable element to his music.

It's wild to think that an early Dune movie didn't make money because 2020 and 2024's Dune and Dune: Part Two were huge successes. Fans are obsessed with all the behind-the-scenes stories about both movies, like what Florence Pugh said about her role and Austin Butler's honesty about life on set.

Given the hype over Dune: Part Two, it's no wonder the actors became even more famous and beloved after starring in the sci-fi sequel. Chances are that the actors will all command huge salaries in future films. Another Hollywood figure got rich from Dune: Part Two as well... but they worked behind the scenes. The legendary Hans Zimmer composed the music for Dune, which added to his amazing net worth. In this article, we'll take a look at how much money Zimmer makes composing, along with what he said about writing the beautiful and compelling film score for Dune.

How Much Money Does Hans Zimmer Make Composing Film Scores Including Dune?

Hans Zimmer has a net worth of $200 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, and he earns a fortune from every movie that he works on. According to Work.chron.com, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, and John Williams can make $2 million for each movie. While it's unknown exactly how much Zimmer has earned from each film score, that seems to be the figure that is reported most often. It's definitely easy to see how all that money would add up.

Besides composing the scores for Dune and Dune: Part Two, Zimmer worked on a range of movies such as The Dark Knight, No Time To Die, The Lion King, and Kung Fu Panda. His career is so interesting because he moves between genres and it seems like he can score any type of film. By the time he was hired to score Dune and the highly-anticipated sequel, he must have been able to charge a high rate since he is so beloved and legendary.

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While Hans Zimmer has made a fortune, it's important to note that other film composers don't make quite as much money. According to DIY Film Composer, a composer could earn $2,500 to $10,000 if they are hired to work on an independent movie with a low budget. A bigger movie might pay them between $35,000 and $300,000. If they work on a blockbuster film, their salary could increase to somewhere between $100,000 and $2 million.

Even though Zimmer's Dune and Dune: Part Two salaries are unknown, it seems likely that he was paid closer to the $2 million range for each movie.

Hans Zimmer has also made money from writing theme songs for TV shows. In 2016, Digital Spy reported that BBC Radio 4 Today tweeted that he wrote the theme for Going For Gold, which surprised his fans. In an interview with The Guardian in 2014, the composer said he wasn't embarrassed because he made money. It also sounds like he got other work because of it, which could also explain his extremely high net worth.

Zimmer said:

"Going for Gold? I’m not ashamed of it! It paid the rent and opened up all sorts of doors. I will admit to it: we all have to have our guilty little somethings! I know Les Dawson. Come on, I'm not completely ignorant."

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The composer also earns money from putting on live shows. According to The Associated Press, he announced dates for a 2024 tour in North America called Hans Zimmer Live after last performing at Coachella in 2017.

In March 2024, the composer told Curzon.com that he writes music because he loves working with people and not just for the high salaries that he gets paid. He said:

"I don’t work for the money. I work for friendship. And I work for the people who work hard during the week and, come the weekend, they have a choice."

He added that people can spend their income on movies or going to pubs, and he wants to ensure that fans are pleased with his film scores. He said, "And if they come to one of our movies for two hours – or in this case, 166 minutes – I want to be able to transport them. I want to be able to give them their money’s worth, and give them an experience."

What Did Hans Zimmer Say About Composing The Film Score For Dune?

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hans Zimmer talked about composing Dune and said he wanted to do something different. He focused on Lady Jessica when composing Dune's score and said:

“If this is a movie about a planet 10,000 years from now, and it was a desert planet, [I thought] I should go and invent instruments and sounds you’ve never heard of. The only thing that should be a consistent, recognizable thing should be the female voice."

He added, "Denis and I never even had to talk about it for any time at all. We always felt very strongly that the female characters are the driving force of the story. Even when Lady Jessica [Rebecca Ferguson] isn’t on the screen, there will be a femininity within the music — that felt very important.”

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Hans Zimmer talked about writing music for a science-fiction movie in an interview with IGN and said the scores should sound like they could come from another planet since that's the setting of the story.

He said:

“What science fiction scores do is they create an enormous amount of freedom for the composer to go and invent a world and to be sonically free, and to use colors that maybe haven't existed before. Because literally, you are being asked to create a world. Between the way it looks and the way it sounds, you're creating the world.”

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