Zoe Saldana Tops Global Box Office Charts in 2026
Zoe Saldana has overtaken Scarlett Johansson as the world's highest-grossing actor, thanks to her blockbuster roles in the Avatar and Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises, with a staggering $15.47 billion in box office takings.
Landing a spot in the world’s biggest film franchises has its perks, and Zoe Saldana is certainly seeing the rewards. With her roles in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and James Cameron’s Avatar series, Saldana’s box office tally has now reached a whopping $15.47 billion. That figure nudges her just ahead of Scarlett Johansson, who recently boosted her own total to $15.4 billion after joining the Jurassic World franchise. These numbers, based on leading roles, are nothing short of impressive and put both actors ahead of other Marvel regulars like Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Pratt.
It’s clear that the Marvel juggernaut has played a massive part in shaping the leaderboard, with the likes of Avengers: Endgame’s $2.79 billion haul giving a hefty boost to many of its stars. But Saldana’s involvement in all three Avatar films, which together have pulled in $6.5 billion, has given her the edge over her former co-stars. How long she’ll keep that top spot, though, depends on what’s next for the franchises that have put these actors at the top of the earnings pile.
Franchise Power Plays
James Cameron isn’t done with Avatar just yet, with two more films pencilled in for 2029 and 2031. While Avatar: Fire and Ash is still bringing in the dollars, it’s unlikely to match the runaway success of its predecessors. Projections suggest the next instalments might finish their cinema runs somewhere between $1.5 and $1.8 billion each. Saldana is expected to return as Neytiri, but there are a couple of upcoming blockbusters that could see her slip from the number one spot.
On the Marvel front, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are both on the horizon, set for release in December 2026 and 2027. The MCU has had a few wobbles lately, but if past Avengers films are anything to go by, both could easily crack the $2 billion mark. Robert Downey Jr., making a comeback as Iron Man and taking on the role of Doctor Doom, could see his own total jump by as much as $4 billion, pushing his personal box office to new heights.
Rivalry at the Top
How all this plays out will become clear over the next couple of years. Johansson isn’t sitting still either, with another Jurassic World film, a part in The Batman Part II, and a role in Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist all lined up. The former Black Widow might well be eyeing a return to the top, ready to reclaim her crown from Saldana.
For now, though, Saldana’s combination of sci-fi epics and superhero blockbusters has put her at the summit of the global box office. Whether she can hold onto that lead as the next wave of franchise films hits cinemas is anyone’s guess, but it’s sure to be a close race among Hollywood’s biggest names.