Zoe Saldaña dethrones co-star as highest-grossing actor worldwide – plus the top 10 biggest movie money makers

Avatar star Zoe Saldaña has become the highest-grossing movie star worldwide.

And it's all thanks to her return in James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash which grossed US$1.23 billion in the opening month globally.

The Oscar winner dethroned her Marvel co-star Scarlett Johansson as the top earner. Who else made the top 10?

Of the top 10 actors, all have starred in major movie franchises, eight have recurring roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and three have the name Chris!

Let's a take a look here:

All values are reported in U.S. dollars.

1. Zoe Saldaña - $15.47 billion

Make her blue (or green) and Zoe Saldaña will make you billions globally.

Known for her role as Neytiri in the Avatar trilogy, the first of the three films is still today the highest-grossing movie of all time with over $2.9 billion at the worldwide box office.

Throw in two sequels and that's $6 billion total!

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Saldaña's recurring role as Gamora in the MCU, her role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and three Star Trek films all attribute to her number one position.

In total, Saldaña's top performing films have made over $15.47 billion worldwide.

Zoe had a cheeky message for her fellow actors, catch her full reaction in the video above.

2. Scarlett Johansson - $15.40 billion

Before Saldaña, Scarlett Johansson topped the list.

The actress skyrocketed from third to first place in July 2025, surpassing her Marvel co-stars Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. thanks to her role in Jurassic World Rebirth.

The film grossed over $869 million worldwide, but her most successful role came as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the MCU, plus her role in the The Jungle Book (2016) banking over $966 million.

3. Samuel L. Jackson - $14.61 billion

Jackson ranks third and for good reason.

Besides playing Nick Fury across 11 MCU films, the actor's catalogue includes some of the highest grossing films of all time.

Yep, we're talking all three Star Wars prequels, Jurassic Park (1993) and Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994).

4. Robert Downey Jr. - $14.32 billion

Downey Jr. made one of the most epic comebacks in Hollywood history when he landed the role of Marvel's Iron Man in 2008.

He reprised the role nine more times before he said goodbye in Avengers: Endgame. But he hasn't said goodbye to the MCU just yet, returning as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.

How's that for a twist!

5. Chris Pratt - $14.13 billion

Pratt proves it really does pay to lead a franchise. Shall we name a few? Guardians of the Galaxy, The Lego Movie franchise, the Jurassic World trilogy and soon, two Super Mario Bros. movies. It's-a me, a movie success story!

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6. Tom Cruise - $12.67 billion

Compared to his contenders on the list, Cruise in an industry veteran. Now 63, the actor is still doing impossible stunts in Impossible movies.

His latest film, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned more than half a billion dollars worldwide alone. Not to mention the Top Gun franchise worth over $1.8 billion.

7. Chris Hemsworth - $12.19 billion

The only Aussie to make the list thanks to his role in the Thor franchise. On top of his success in the MCU, his Thor films alone banked over $2.7 billion in the worldwide box office!

Not bad for a Home and Away kid.

8. Vin Diesel - $12.04 billion

Vin Diesel made his box office name by driving cars fast (and furiously).

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The actor leads all 10 movies in the Fast franchise, contributing to its $7.3 billion worth. All while he voices Groot in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

9. Chris Evans - $11.49 billion

Another actor to lead the world's second-highest-grossing movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame, is Captain America himself, Chris Evans.

Totalling 14 Marvel movie appearances, make that 15 when Avengers: Doomsday comes out this year.

10. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson - $11.47 billion

Johnson's real dint to the box office came when he joined the Fast and Furious franchise.

The actor has starred in six of the Fast films and spin-offs, on top of his success in Disney's Moana franchise.

With another Fast & Furious film and live-action Moana on the way, 2026 will be a big year for Johnson.

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