Hollywood star Zoe Saldana has emerged as the highest-grossing leading actor of all time at the worldwide box office, bagging the top position at the global rankings following the release of blockbuster success of Avatar: Fire and Ash According to box office tracking website Numbers, which compiles worldwide data on the top 100 stars in leading roles, Zoe ranks first with a cumulative global box office collection of USD 15.46 billion from 33 films, averaging nearly USD 469 million per movie.
Her record is bolstered by appearances in some of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history, including Avatar (2009), which grossed USD 2.92 billion, Avengers: Endgame (2019) with USD 2.71 billion, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) at USD 2.32 billion, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) with USD 2.04 billion and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), which has earned over USD 1.23 billion worldwide so far.
Zoe has starred in the three highest-grossing films of all time — the two Avatar films and Avengers: Endgame — and is the first actress to feature in four movies that have crossed the USD 2 billion mark globally.
Scarlett Johansson is at number two in the list with USD 15.40 billion from 36 films, and Samuel L Jackson at number three with USD 14.61 billion from over 70 films. Other stars in the top 10 include Robert Downey Jr., Chris Pratt, Tom Cruise, Chris Hemsworth, Vin Diesel, Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson.
Last year, Johansson rose to the top spot after Jurassic World Rebirth amassed USD 869 million worldwide. The actor has also appeared in multiple Marvel films.
Reacting to the milestone, Zoe posted a video message on social media on Tuesday evening, thanking filmmakers, collaborators and fans across the world for their support.
“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,” said Zoe, who won her maiden Oscar for her performance in Emilia Perez in 2025.
“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," she said, praising filmmakers like J J Abrams, Joe and Anthony Russo and James Gunn for placing their trust in her.
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