Zoe Saldaña Becomes Highest-Grossing Actor With Avatar: Fire and Ash, Thanks James Cameron For ‘Challenging’ Her

Zoe Saldaña is making the bag! The 47-year-old has just surpassed Scarlett Johansson to become the highest-grossing actor of all time with her latest portrayal in Avatar: Fire and Ash. As per a Variety report, she has earned the crown thanks to her involvement in big projects like the Avatar series as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actress took to her Instagram account to share her gratitude to fans as well as the filmmakers who have made this possible.

Zoe Saldaña is minting away, becoming highest grosser of all time

According to The Numbers, the movies having Zoe Saldaña in a lead role have collectively grossed approximately 15.47 billion USD worldwide. This gives her the edge over Scarlett Johansson, whose box office presence has garnered 15.40 billion USD instead. This was able to happen thanks to the success of James Cameron's latest sci-fi film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which has currently grossed more than 1.23 billion USD so far after premiering in late December. 

Her portrayal of Neytiri began back in 2009 when she played the character for the first time. The original Avatar film remains the most successful movie ever at the box office, having earned a whopping 2.9 billion USD. It is followed by the 2019-released Avengers: Endgame at No. 2. Meanwhile, the 2022 sequel to Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, comes in at the 3rd place. Zoe Saldaña has appeared in an impressive four films that have grossed over 2 billion USD, with the previous top 3 followed by 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War.

Back in 2024, she was third on the list, only after the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, fellow MCU stars and major Hollywood stars. In a new video, she thanked multiple directors “for believing my potential for seeing something in me that I have not always seen in myself, and for challenging me to always rise to the occasion. Your faith, your guidance and your vision, they shape not only these films, but me as an artist.”