Zoe Saldaña Becomes Highest-Grossing Actor in Box Office History
Written by b87fm on 01/13/2026
Zoe Saldaña has officially made history as the highest-grossing actor of all time, based on the combined worldwide box office earnings of the films she has starred in.
Over a 23-year career, Saldaña has anchored some of the most lucrative franchises in cinematic history. Powered by massive hits from Avatar and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, her films have generated more than $15 billion at the global box office.
What sets Saldaña apart is the scale of her success. She is the only actor to appear in four films that have each surpassed $2 billion worldwide: Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
A Franchise Powerhouse
Saldaña has become synonymous with blockbuster storytelling. Though many of her most iconic roles relied heavily on motion capture and CGI, she remained the emotional core of each franchise. Audiences around the world connected with her portrayals of Neytiri in Avatar and Gamora in the Marvel films, performances that helped ground expansive, effects-driven worlds in humanity and heart.
Her rise predates Hollywood’s billion-dollar era. Saldaña’s early work included roles in Center Stage and Drumline in the early 2000s, followed by Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. She later cemented her place in sci-fi and action cinema with her role as Uhura in Star Trek (2009), further expanding her blockbuster résumé.
Championing Diversity On and Off Screen
In December, Saldaña spoke with BET about the latest Avatar installment and praised the film’s commitment to representation.
“I think the diversity in our cast is incredible, with Cliff [Curtis] playing the Olo’eyktan of the Metkayina, with Oona [Chaplin] being a Latina woman, with Trinity [Bliss] being Asian,” she said. “I do feel that there is diversity with CCH Pounder being my mom and Wes Studi also playing my father, who’s a Native man. I do believe that Jim [James Cameron] really went by his word, and he cast a very diverse cast.”
With her record-breaking box office milestone, Saldaña’s legacy as one of Hollywood’s most influential and bankable stars is now firmly cemented.
