From Silver Screen to Chart-Toppers: The Blockbuster Films with Unforgettable Soundtracks

There’s no Mamma Mia! without the insanely popular stylings of ABBA. Grease feels complete with tracks like We Go Together and You’re The One That I Want. The newly released Barbie movie is elevated to a new level with the inclusion of its pop-heavy soundtrack. 

Films and music work together to amplify storytelling to a new level, unforgettable films with unforgettable sounds. Check out our list of the most iconic film soundtracks, maybe you will find a few new tracks to add to your playlist.

Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack

ABBA plus Meryl Streep, what could be better? The Mamma Mia! soundtrack is a favourite for movie fans, with many songs reaching over 100,000,000 streams. The music is very concrete to the storyline of the film, hence the virality of the album. Songs like Dancing Queen, Lay All Your Love On Me, Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! (A Man After Midnight) and many other tracks are still listened to on repeat, almost 15 years later. Mamma Mia! Made $402 million throughout its theatrical run worldwide. On top of the massive earnings, the film is considered by many to be a classic and is shared with generations older and generations younger. The soundtrack’s success is attributed to the immense love for the film. 

Black Panther The Album

The fourteen-track album for the film highlights musical stylings from the industry’s most popular Black artists including Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Swae Lee, Khalid, The Weeknd and more. Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther, enlisted the musical talents and knowledge of Kendrick Lamar to play a major role in curating the album. The film soundtrack was focused on harvesting organic sound and emotion from Africa, the continent Wakanda resides in according to the fictional Marvel universe. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, is the album’s greatest hit. With over 1.3 billion streams, the iconic track solidifies the album as an unforgettable collection of talent from Black singers and musicians. 

Grease (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Premiering in 1978, Grease is an extremely loved film with an equally loved movie soundtrack. Full of songs from John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and many other prominent actors and artists from the film, the Grease soundtrack captures the film’s plot and storytelling in a beautiful way. Thus, making the composition an unforgettable component to the film, and to music history. Hopelessly Devoted to You by Olivia Newton-John and You’re The One That I Want by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta stand as the album’s most listened-to tracks. The film has such great significance in pop culture, which has helped cement the album’s significance over the last 45 years. 

Barbie: The Album

The newest film hopping on to the legacy of unforgettable soundtracks of major films is Barbie. The film has taken the internet by storm for its marketing, faultless castings, red-carpet looks, box office battle with Oppenheimer and its original soundtrack. The Barbie album is infused with extreme star power. The 17-track album features original music from Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, Pink Pantheress, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, Lizzo, Gayle, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, and the list goes on and on. The soundtrack enlisted some of today’s biggest hitmakers to use their unique sound to help build an album assisting in the storytelling of Margot Robbie’s Barbie. 

Birds of Prey: The Album

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, a film with a specific title has an equally long, but exciting, compilation of original music. Saweetie, Maisie Peters, Charlotte Lawrence, Megan Thee Stallion, Normani, and many more prominent female singers make up the tracklist. For an all-female team-up film, the album perfectly matches the girl empowerment themes of the story. The biggest hit from the film is Doja Cat’s Boss Bitch. With over 760,000,000 streams, the track is a firm representation of the album’s strong and unique sound. 

Disney Animated Movies

Disney stands notorious for their animated blockbuster hits with songs engaging the young audience and finding high peaks on the charts. Some of the more notable movie soundtracks come from films including Encanto, Frozen, The Lion King, and Moana. There are many other films with amazing soundtracks, but these films had multiple Billboard Hot 100 entries.

Most recently, Encanto’s music has created an unforgettable legacy. We Don’t Talk About Bruno hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and completely took over social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Surface Pressure from Encanto also charted along with The Family Madrigal, What Else Can I Do?, Dos Oruguitas, Waiting On A Miracle and All of You. To say Encanto has an unforgettable soundtrack is an understatement.

Disney’s Frozen is also packed with hits including Let it Go, Do You Want To Build A Snowman?, For The First Time In Forever, and Love Is An Open Door. In 2023, 10 years after the film’s initial release, the Frozen soundtrack is still fairly popular. 

The Lion King soundtrack is the definition of unforgettable. With songs like Can You Feel The Love Tonight and Circle of Life by Elton John, the film’s soundtrack will be remembered for decades to come.

Lastly, the music from Moana sat comfortably on the charts following the movie’s release in 2017. How Far I’ll Go, You’re Welcome and We Know The Way stand as anthems from the Polynesian princess and friends. Disney continuously produces films with quintessential soundtracks. 

An unforgettable album can be established and identified by charts or by popularity. Ranging from musicals to superhero films to animated films, soundtracks are also defined by their impact and significance in pop culture from the premiere date to the present.