Grammy Awards 2025—Hans Zimmer’s Dune: Part Two soundtrack wins big despite an Oscar disqualification

Hans Zimmer’s exceptional work on the Dune: Part Two soundtrack was a big winner at the 2025 Grammy Awards, snagging the award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. This triumph happened even though the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided that his score couldn’t be in the running for an Oscar because it had used some music that was also in Dune: Part One.

This ruling caused quite a stir, with Denis Villeneuve, the movie’s director, calling it unfair and praising Zimmer’s creation as “genius” in an interview with Deadline. Despite the Oscar snub, the Grammy win is a clear sign that Zimmer’s talent hasn’t gone unnoticed and adds to his already impressive collection of awards, which includes four other Grammy wins for his work on The Dark Knight, Crimson Tide, The Lion King, and the unforgettable Circle of Life.

Zimmer’s Dune: Part Two score went up against other great music from Challengers by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, American Fiction by Laura Karpman, The Color Purple by Kris Bowers, and Shōgun by Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross, and Leopold Ross for the Grammy award. Meanwhile, the Oscar race for Best Original Score had contenders like The Brutalist and Wicked.

Why did the Oscars disqualify Dune: Part Two's score?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided that Dune: Part Two cannot be considered for the Best Original Score award because it uses a lot of music from the first Dune movie. For a score to be eligible, it needs to be mostly new music. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Antonio Sánchez's music for Birdman faced a similar situation.

Denis Villeneuve, the person who directed Dune: Part Two, didn't agree with this choice. He talked to SlashFilm and said that even though the music by Hans Zimmer is connected to the first film, it's all part of a larger, ongoing melody that helps tell the story in a big, epic way.

“I don’t use the word genius often, but Hans is one,” Villeneuve said to Deadline.

He further clarified that Dune: Part Two and the first film are like “one big movie cut in half,” which makes it feel right for the music to flow without any breaks.

Even though Zimmer couldn't go for an Oscar this year, winning at the Grammys shows that he's still the one for making movie scores. Sometimes, the rules for the Grammys and Oscars don't match, and that's why the same music doesn't always win both awards.

Dune: Part Two’s score stood out at the Grammys

Despite its disappointment at the Oscars, Zimmer’s music for Dune: Part Two was met with widespread acclaim in the music world, which led to it winning a Grammy award. This part of the Dune series had a soundtrack that took the unique sounds from the first part to another level.

It had deep, earthy chants, spooky drums, and synth sounds that wrapped around you like a blanket, making the movie feel more intense. Zimmer’s special style is mixing the classic sound of an orchestra with new and different sounds. Dune: Part Two shows how good he is at this.

Before the Grammys, the soundtrack from the movie Challengers, by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, was expected to win. It had a modern sound with electronic beats and made you feel like you were in a suspenseful thriller. Some were upset when it didn’t get nominated for an Oscar, calling it a big mistake.

But Zimmer’s ended up being the favorite, maybe because it had a much larger and more complex sound that helped build the world of the film. Zimmer’s win at the Grammys is just one more award for Dune: Part Two. The movie was nominated for five Oscars, like Best Picture and Best Photography.

Whether or not the music was in the Oscar race, everyone agrees Zimmer can make you feel like you’re on the planet Arrakis just by listening to his work.