In 2025, Zoe Saldaña won an Oscar for her role in the film Emilia Perez, cementing her place as one of the most talented actresses of her generation.
Towards the end of the year, she returned to Pandora, playing Neytiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in the James Cameron-led film franchise. It has since grossed USD 1.2 billion at the box office so far. The first two Avatar movies earned global returns of USD 2.92 billion and USD 2.3 billion, respectively. These returns, along with a starring turn as Gamora in five Marvel films and the Star Trek reboot, have made Saldaña the highest-grossing actress of all time.
While Saldaña has a stellar acting career spanning 25 years, it is her roles in the aforementioned franchises that placed her at the top of the list, with estimated collective earnings of USD 15.47 billion—from both domestic and international markets. She surpasses Scarlett Johansson, who drops to second place with her films, which include seven within the Marvel universe, earning approximately USD 15.4 billion worldwide.
Rounding out the top five most bankable stars on the list are Saldaña's fellow Marvel alums: Samuel L. Jackson in third place with USD 14.61 billion, Robert Downey Jr. in fourth with USD 14.31 billion, and Chris Pratt coming in fifth with USD 14.12 billion in box office returns.
Saldaña is set to return to reprise her role in two more upcoming films in the Avatar universe.
The list of the highest-grossing actors of all time was released by movie industry data site The Numbers.