Zoe Saldaña Just Became the Highest-Grossing Actor in Movie History — and the Fandom Era Made It Possible
Image: Getty Images
There’s a new queen of the global box office — and she earned her crown in blue paint, space armor, and some of the biggest fandom franchises ever created.
According to The Numbers, Academy Award-winner, Zoe Saldaña has officially surpassed Scarlett Johansson to become the highest-grossing actor in cinematic history. In an industry dominated by sprawling franchises and cinematic universes, Saldaña has quietly — and now undeniably — become the most bankable star the big screen has ever seen.
Her films have collectively earned a staggering $15.46 billion worldwide, thanks largely to her roles at the beating heart of two cultural juggernauts: Marvel and Avatar.
For over a decade, Saldaña has been a cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the fierce and emotionally complex Gamora, appearing in all three Guardians of the Galaxy films as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Meanwhile, she’s also one of the central figures of James Cameron’s Avatar saga — including the newly released Avatar: Fire and Ash, which has already passed $1 billion globally and continues to dominate theaters.
Image: 20th Century Cinemas
And let’s not forget that before she was saving galaxies in green and blue, Saldaña was boldly going where few reboot casts had gone before. She starred as Uhura in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot trilogy, another fandom-defining franchise that helped cement her status as sci-fi royalty long before the box-office records followed.
That means Saldaña has appeared in all three of the highest-grossing movies of all time! Talk about a casual flex!
Hot on her heels are other blockbuster icons. Scarlett Johansson — her Avengers co-star — sits just behind with $15.40 billion, while Samuel L. Jackson follows with $14.6 billion. The numbers speak not just to star power, but to the era of interconnected storytelling where actors become synonymous with universes fans invest in for years.
Rounding out the current top ten highest box-office grossing actors is a who’s who of franchise fame: Robert Downey Jr. with $14.3 billion, Chris Pratt with $14.1 billion, Tom Cruise with $12.6 billion, Chris Hemsworth with $12.1 billion, Vin Diesel with $12 billion, Chris Evans with $11.48 billion, and Dwayne Johnson with $11.46 billion. Nearly every name on the list has built their legacy on fandom-fueled storytelling — whether it’s superheroes, dinosaurs, street-racing families, or death-defying stunts.
The common thread? Global fan devotion. Cinematic universes. Stories that don’t just fill theaters, but fuel conventions, cosplay, memes, merch, and midnight premieres.
And that’s what makes Saldaña’s achievement especially noteworthy. Whether painted green, glowing blue, or commanding a starship, she embodies the power of genre storytelling — and the fans who show up again and again.
In a landscape where box-office success is increasingly tied to passionate global fanbases, Zoe Saldaña isn’t just the highest-grossing actor of all time. She’s the reigning icon of the fandom era.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is now playing in theaters worldwide.
