Stephen Elliott Rivkin (born May 5, 1955) is an American film editor and music video director. He is best known for his editing work on the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and his work with director James Cameron as an editor on Avatar, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Rivkin has edited three films for director Norman Jewison; Rivkin has worked extensively with director Gore Verbinski. Rivkin is an elected member of the American Cinema Editors and currently serves as the organisation's president. He was also an associate producer on two films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Stephen E. Rivkin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 5, 1955 (71)
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Editor, also producer
- 32 on MovieCove · 36 credits in all
Known for
What are Stephen E. Rivkin's films like?
Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 4 · Earnest 25
Light 11 · Serious 11 · Dark 8
A split, not a type: Grounded 10 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 12
A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 9 · Intense 15
Steady 9 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 5
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 7
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 17 · Relentless 7
Casual 12 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 4
A split, not a type: Easy watch 13 · Affecting 12 · Heavy 5
Resolved 24 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy14
- Bittersweet13
- Ambiguous3
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 Stephen E. Rivkin's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 24 of their 32 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (9).
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) · editor
- Avatar (2009) · editor
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) · editor
- Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) · editor
- Alita: Battle Angel (2019) · editor
- Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) · editor
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) · editor
- Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) · editor
- Fantastic Four (2015) · editor
Subscription and free streaming for Stephen E. Rivkin'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
36 credits, 32 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Avatar: Fire and Ash(2025)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Avatar: The Way of Water(2022)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Alita: Battle Angel(2019)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Fantastic Four(2015)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Blackhat(2015)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Avatar(2009)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Stealth(2005)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
The Statement(2003)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Ali(2001)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Swordfish(2001)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Wooly Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
The Hurricane(1999)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Idle Hands(1999)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Excess Baggage(1997)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Bogus(1996)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Nine Months(1995)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Outbreak(1995)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Only You(1994)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Fire in the Sky(1993)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Comrades of Summer(1992)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
My Cousin Vinny(1992)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Wildflower(1991)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
El Diablo(1990)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Nightbreaker(1989)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Bat*21(1988)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Stranded(1987)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Youngblood(1986)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Hot Dog... The Movie(1984)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Harold of Orange (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
The Personals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Winter Count (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Career shape
A full career of 35 titles from 1976 to 2025.
Biggest box office
Avatar (2009)
Highest rated
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Most popular right now
Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)
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
1 major award from 4 major nominations, 2010–2023.
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Editing
- Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Film Editing
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Editing
+1 other major body · 1 win
- Critics Choice Award, won · Best Editing
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 Stephen E. Rivkin's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 32; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up9
- 50th to 74th11
- 25th to 49th9
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
14 of their 32 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved6
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser14
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles; fans 57, detractors 31. The element that speaks to their work as an editor.
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 Stephen E. Rivkin's work okay for kids?
Across up to 21 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
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 Stephen E. Rivkin work with?
People who share at least 2 of Stephen E. Rivkin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Peter Markle shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Peter MarkleShared titles: The Last Days of Frankie the Fly (1996), El Diablo (1990), Nightbreaker (1989), Bat*21 (1988), Youngblood (1986), Hot Dog... The Movie (1984)See all 6 shared titles with Peter Markle
- James CameronShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Alita: Battle Angel (2019), Avatar (2009)See all 4 shared titles with James Cameron
- Gore VerbinskiShared titles: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Gore Verbinski
- Norman JewisonShared titles: The Statement (2003), Bogus (1996), Only You (1994)See all 3 shared titles with Norman Jewison
Writers
- Ted ElliottShared titles: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Ted Elliott
- Terry RossioShared titles: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Terry Rossio
- Amanda SilverShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Amanda Silver
- Josh FriedmanShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Josh Friedman
Actors
- CCH PounderShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Avatar (2009)See all 3 shared titles with CCH Pounder
- Joel David MooreShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Avatar (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Joel David Moore
- Sam WorthingtonShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Avatar (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Sam Worthington
- Sigourney WeaverShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Avatar (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Sigourney Weaver
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- John RefouaShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Avatar (2009)See all 3 shared titles with John Refoua
- Craig WoodShared titles: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Craig Wood
- Dariusz WolskiShared titles: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Dariusz Wolski
- Hans ZimmerShared titles: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Nine Months (1995)See all 3 shared titles with Hans Zimmer
Producers
- Jon LandauShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Alita: Battle Angel (2019), Avatar (2009)See all 4 shared titles with Jon Landau
- David ValdesShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Alita: Battle Angel (2019)See all 3 shared titles with David Valdes
- Jerry BruckheimerShared titles: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Jerry Bruckheimer
- Brigitte YorkeShared titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Brigitte Yorke
Mixed roles
- Laeta KalogridisShared titles: Alita: Battle Angel (2019), Avatar (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Laeta Kalogridis
- Tommy Lee WallaceShared titles: The Comrades of Summer (1992), El Diablo (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Tommy Lee Wallace
