Zoe Saldaña Becomes Highest-Grossing Actor of All Time After 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Pushes Total Past $15 Billion
Zoe Saldaña has officially become the highest-grossing actor of all time, surpassing Scarlett Johansson with a worldwide box office total exceeding $15.4 billion after the release of "Avatar: Fire and Ash."
The 47-year-old actress reached the milestone less than a month after "Avatar: Fire and Ash" premiered in theaters on Dec. 19, 2025. As of Jan. 13, 2026, the third installment in James Cameron's sci-fi franchise has grossed $1.23 billion worldwide, with $344 million coming from domestic theaters and $888 million from international markets.
Saldaña's films have reportedly accumulated approximately $15.47 billion in worldwide box office revenue from her leading roles. This achievement places her ahead of Johansson, who previously held the record after "Jurassic World Rebirth" pushed her total to $14.8 billion in July 2025, according to The Guardian.
Saldaña has starred in three of the highest-grossing films in cinema history: 2009's "Avatar," which remains the top-grossing film of all time with $2.9 billion; 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," the second-highest earner; and 2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water," which ranks third.
She has appeared in four movies that have crossed the $2 billion threshold globally, including "Avengers: Infinity War," Variety reported.
Beyond the "Avatar" franchise, Saldaña played Gamora in three "Guardians of the Galaxy" films and portrayed Nyota Uhura in the "Star Trek" trilogy, which collectively earned over $1 billion worldwide.
Her record-breaking achievement comes less than a year after she won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Emilia Pérez" at the 2025 Oscars.
Samuel L. Jackson now ranks third on the list of highest-grossing actors with approximately $14.6 billion, followed by Robert Downey Jr. at $14.3 billion and Chris Pratt at $14.1 billion. Saldaña is expected to continue playing Neytiri in the planned fourth and fifth "Avatar" films, scheduled for release in 2029 and 2031, as per Parade.
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