Saldana Overtakes Johansson as Top-Earning Hollywood Star
The Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy actress has claimed the crown with $15.47 billion in combined box office earnings, narrowly beating her Marvel co-star in a race driven by blockbuster franchises.
Being cast in Hollywood's biggest money-making franchises pays off in ways most actors can only dream about. Zoe Saldana just proved this point by climbing to the top of the highest-grossing performers list.
The actress now holds $15.47 bn in total box office earnings across her career. This puts her just ahead of Scarlett Johansson, who sits at $15.4 bn after joining the Jurassic World series.
Marvel and Avatar Drive Success
Both actresses owe much of their success to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Pratt round out the top five, all benefiting from MCU appearances. Avengers: Endgame alone contributed $2.79 bn to many of these totals.
Saldana's participation in all three Avatar films gives her a major advantage. James Cameron's sci-fi trilogy has earned $6.5 bn combined, with Avatar: Fire and Ash still adding to that number after its $1.25 bn run.
Future Competition Looms
The race isn't over. Two upcoming Avengers movies could shake up these rankings completely.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are scheduled for December 2026 and 2027. Both films will likely cross the $2 bn mark based on past Avengers performance. Robert Downey Jr.'s return as Doctor Doom could add up to $4 bn to his current $14.3 bn total.
Cameron plans more Avatar sequels for 2029 and 2031, though analysts expect these later films to earn between $1.5-1.8 bn each. That's still substantial, but may not be enough to keep Saldana ahead of her competition.
Johansson's Comeback Strategy
The former Black Widow isn't backing down. She has several major projects lined up that could help her reclaim the top spot.
Another Jurassic World movie is in development. She's also attached to The Batman Part II and Mike Flanagan's The Exorcist. Any one of these could generate enough revenue to put her back in first place.
The next two years will determine who holds onto this title. With multiple billion-dollar franchises in play, the competition between these powerhouse performers is just getting started.