Meet world's highest-grossing actor, 37-yr-old with $15 billion gross; beat Robert Downey Jr, Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson

The world's highest-grossing actor has given five films that have earned over $1 billion at the box office, beating several superstars.

Updated on: Jan 14, 2026 4:22 PM IST

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The success of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash has not just reinstated the filmmaker as one of the biggest money earners in Hollywood history, but also transformed the landscape of box office kings and queens worldwide. Riding on the success of the film, 37-year-old Zoe Saldana has become the highest-grossing actor in the history of cinema, dethroning Scarlett Johansson, who had taken the top spot last year after the success of the new Jurassic World film.

The world's highest-grossing actor has appeared in both Avengers and Avatar.

Zoe Saldana is the world’s highest-grossing actor

With Avatar: Fire and Ash grossing over $1 billion worldwide, Zoe Saldana’s cumulative box office gross has grown to $15.5 billion, helping her surpass Scarlett, who sits in the second spot with $15.4 billion. Zoe has been part of four of the seven highest-grossing films of all time, including the top 3. Her three Avatar films have $6.6 billion. Additionally, she has also appeared as Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. The MCU films featuring her have earned over $7.5 billion. She has also starred in the Star Trek films.

The actor has a chance to add to that amount when she appears in Avengers: Doomsday later this year. She is also expected to star in the two remaining Avatar films.

Zoe Saldana attends the premiere for the film Avatar: Fire and Ash, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 1, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo (REUTERS)

Who all did Zoe Saldana beat

The list of the highest-grossing actors of all time was headed by leading men such as Clark Gable and John Wayne till the 60s. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone traded the top spot through the '90s.

The beginning of the MCU saw Samuel L Jackson take the top spot, before he was displaced by Scarlett last year. Samuel still sits in the third spot, followed by other MCU alum Robert Downey Jr and Chris Pratt. Chris Hemsworth, Vin Diesel, and Chris Evans are the other MCU actors in the top 10. The only non-MCU actors in the list are Tom Cruise (#6) and Dwayne Johnson (#10).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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