Zoe Saldaña Just Made Box Office History
Zoe Saldaña is now the highest-grossing actor of all time.
After a few years of trailing behind Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson, Zoe Saldaña just leapfrogged them to become the highest-grossing actor of all time, thanks to the success of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Congrats, Zoe!
According to The Numbers, Saldaña’s movies have now made $15.47 billion at the global box office. The Avatar movies, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies, and the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy have all contributed to the actress’s staggering box office total, which she acknowledged by thanking the directors of those movies in a social media video marking the milestone.
“I just want to express my sincerest gratitude for the extraordinary journey that has led me to become the highest-grossing film actor of all time today,” she said. “An achievement made possible entirely, entirely by the incredible franchises and the collaborators that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of, to every director who placed their trust in me.”
“Your unwavering support, passion and loyalty are the true foundation of this milestone,” Saldaña added. “None of this exists without you showing up time and time again with open hearts and enthusiasm. This accomplishment belongs to all of us, and I’m deeply grateful and profoundly humbled. And may the next record breaker be another woman!”
Saldaña seems happy to be the reigning queen of the global box office, with Johansson and Jackson now at numbers two and three, respectively. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Pratt, and Tom Cruise are fourth, fifth, and sixth, while Chris Hemsworth, Vin Diesel, Chris Evans, and Dwayne Johnson fill out the rest of the top ten. There are only three other women in the top 30: Emma Watson, Karen Gillan, and Elizabeth Olsen.
From a quick glance, you can see that a big chunk of these box office dollars is Marvel dollars, with Watson ranking higher due to her involvement in the Harry Potter franchise, Vin Diesel grabbing some Fast & Furious success, and Tom Cruise dishing out regular installments of Mission: Impossible.
Now that the Potter and Mission: Impossible movies are done, and the Fast & Furious franchise is struggling, we should see some fresh faces start to make waves at the box office soon. However, Saldaña will still give them a run for their money – she still has two more Avatar movies on the way.