Buzz
Film soundtracks can generate huge profits—sometimes even eclipsing the success of the movie itself. (And in some cases, they may even surpass the quality of the film.) In early December 2018, three soundtracks made it to the Billboard Top 10, and Mariah Carey’s Glitter soundtrack recently made headlines for reentering the charts. However, they still have a long way to go to reach the highest ranks.
Here are the 20 best-selling movie soundtracks ever—many of which have remained on the list for decades.
(The following list is based on RIAA certified units).
1. The Bodyguard (1992)
Certified units: 18 million
Elvis Presley initially wished to record Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” but his team demanded half of the publishing rights. Parton declined, later commenting that “when Whitney [Houston’s version] came out, I made enough money to buy Graceland."
2. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Certified units: 16 million
CPR will never be the same again.
3. Purple Rain (1984)
Certified units: 13 million
Prince wrote approximately 100 songs for the movie—and “Purple Rain” wasn’t even among that initial batch.
4. Forrest Gump (1994)
Certified units: 12 million
It's like a box of chocolates, but with songs, showcasing everyone from Jefferson Airplane to Lynyrd Skynyrd in Robert Zemeckis's Oscar-winning hit.
5. Dirty Dancing (1987)
Certified units: 11 million
If you’re passionate about the movie’s soundtrack, you might want to think twice before rushing to get the album: According to executive producer Jimmy Ienner, “We needed different mixes for the film and the record ... For example, the guitars were significantly toned down in the movie because they weren’t a dominant instrument at that time; saxophones were. We removed most of the synthesized sounds and replaced them with organs for the film version.”
6. Titanic (1997)
Certified units: 11 million
Céline Dion shared with Billboard that while recording "My Heart Will Go On," her mindset was: “Sing the song, then get the heck out of there."
7. The Lion King (1994)
Certified units: 10 million
"Nants ingonyama" seemingly translates to “Here comes a lion.” And if you've watched this Disney classic—soon to be remade as a live-action film—you definitely know what "Hakuna Matata" means.
8. Footloose (1984)
Certified units: 9 million
While preparing to duet on “Almost Paradise” for Footloose, Ann Wilson of Heart broke her wrist. However, she refused painkillers because they would interfere with her singing voice.
9. Top Gun (1986)
Certified units: 9 million
The songs of Top Gun “continue to embody the over-the-top, emotional sound that ruled the pop charts of the [mid-80s],” as noted by AllMusic
10. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Certified units: 8 million
Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons revealed that they were introduced to bluegrass through the Coen brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou, stating “That movie kind of signaled the arrival of bluegrass into mainstream British culture."
11. Grease (1978)
Certified units: 8 million
As reported by Box Office Mojo, Grease is the second highest-grossing musical of all time, surpassed only by 2017’s Beauty and the Beast.
12. Waiting To Exhale (1995)
Certified units: 7 million
The song “Exhale” is renowned for its iconic "shoop" chorus. However, writer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds explained that it came about because every time he attempted to write real lyrics, they simply got in the way.
13. The Little Mermaid (1989)
Certified units: 6 million
As shared by co-directors Ron Clements and John Musker, “Part of Your World” almost didn’t make the cut from The Little Mermaid after an early black-and-white and sometimes sketched version left test audiences bored. It wasn’t until a more refined version was produced that the issue was resolved.
14. Pure Country (1992)
Certified units: 6 million
Not bad for a film that only earned $15 million (and one that you may not even recognize).
15. Flashdance (1983)
Certified units: 6 million
The track “Maniac” was initially inspired by a horror movie the songwriters had watched (its lyrics were later reworked for Flashdance).
16. Space Jam (1996)
Certified units: 6 million
Not only was "I Believe I Can Fly" the best-selling soundtrack single of 1997, but in third place was Monica’s “For You I Will”—also from Space Jam.
17. The Big Chill (1983)
Certified units: 6 million
By RIAA certified units, the soundtrack to The Big Chill ranks as the fifth largest Motown album of all time.
18. City of Angels (1998)
Certified units: 5 million
One of the standout tracks from the soundtrack—“Uninvited” by Alanis Morissette—sparked piracy concerns. A California radio station got its hands on a pirated copy and aired it. Someone recorded the song from the radio and uploaded it online (this happened in 1998), and even other stations began playing the illegally downloaded version. As a result, Warner Music was compelled to release the album to radio a week earlier than initially planned.
19. The Jazz Singer (1980)
Certified units: 5 million
Fun Fact: Neil Diamond won the first Razzie for Worst Actor for this film and was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor.
20. Evita (1996)
Certified units: 5 million
Evita began as a concept album in 1976. Two years later, it premiered in London’s West End. In 1979, it hit Broadway and the album went platinum in the U.S. before Madonna became involved.
Honorable Mention: Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Certified units: 5 million
The question of whether a Broadway cast recording qualifies as a soundtrack is up for debate, but Lin-Manuel Miranda’s cultural juggernaut has sold as many units as Madonna and Neil Diamond, as reported by the RIAA.
