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Joseph Kosinski

Joseph Kosinski

Director, producer, writer and actor · Born May 3, 1974 (52) · Marshalltown, Iowa, USA

Oscar nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Joseph Kosinski (born May 3, 1974) is an American film director. He directed the films Tron: Legacy (2010), Oblivion (2013), Only the Brave (2017), Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Spiderhead (2022), and F1 (2025). His previous work in computer graphics and computer-generated imagery (CGI) primarily involved CGI-related television commercials, including the "Starry Night" commercial for Halo 3 and the award-winning "Mad World" commercial for Gears of War.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 3, 1974 (52)
From
Marshalltown, Iowa, USA
Works as
Director, producer, writer and actor
Titles
8 on MovieCove · 12 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 15% in 30 days

What are Joseph Kosinski's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
35%
Self
28%
Bonds
18%
Ideas
12%
Power
7%
Redemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTechnology2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Thrilling
4
Tense
4
Melancholic
5
Contemplative
4
Dread
1
Other
5

How their films linger

Bittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Joseph Kosinski's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Joseph Kosinski's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

12 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Miami Vice '85 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2028)

    Director · Producer

  • Tron: Ares(2025)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • F1: The Movie(2025)

    Director · Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Twisters(2024)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Spiderhead(2022)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Top Gun: Maverick(2022)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Only the Brave(2017)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Dig (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Writer

  • Oblivion(2013)

    Director · Original Story · Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Tron Phenomenon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Actor

  • Tron: Legacy(2010)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Untitled UAP Conspiracy Thriller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer

Career shape

A full career of 12 titles, 10 of them dated from 2010 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

$1.5B worldwide

Highest rated

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 12: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting9 of 12: 4 only directing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score86thWriting4 of 12: 1 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing5 of 12: 1 only producing, 4 with another role

12 titles, 5 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

2010s5 · 1 acting · 4 crew2020s5 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

3 major nominations and no wins, 2023–2026.

  1. 2026
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Motion Picture of the Year
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
  2. 2023
    • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Joseph Kosinski's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

99thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 8 titles divides audiences: 3 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most loved · director

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 73/100 and the pacing 51/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Joseph Kosinski's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles34–56 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles8–44 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles32–64 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles22–48 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles38–65 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Joseph Kosinski work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joseph Kosinski's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jeff Bridges shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles