Hollywood box office records usually come with big headlines and nonstop attention, but Zoe Saldaña reached the top in a much quieter way. Following the ongoing success of Avatar: The Way of Water, she is now the highest-earning actor ever, surpassing Scarlett Johansson with a worldwide box office total of over USD $15.4 billion. This is an impressive achievement that puts Saldaña ahead of many of Hollywood’s most famous stars.

Looking at her career, this achievement makes sense. Saldaña has spent years starring in some of the biggest movie series, like ‘Avatar’, ‘Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame’, and the new ‘Star Trek’ movies. Instead of having just one big role, she built her career by being part of several billion-dollar series that have shaped hit movies over the past twenty years.

There was never a single time when Hollywood suddenly made Saldaña the star of the industry. Instead, she stayed part of movies that audiences kept coming back to year after year. Whether people first saw her in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ or in her later science fiction and superhero roles, her record now shows just how big those series became worldwide and how important she was to them.

A huge part of Zoe Saldaña’s record-breaking rise came from the ongoing success of Avatar: Fire and Ash, which added another huge box office total to her already impressive career numbers. The film reportedly made more than USD $1 billion worldwide, helping push Saldaña past Scarlett Johansson and into the top spot among Hollywood’s highest-earning actors ever. It might seem like the record happened quickly, but it was actually the result of years spent working on some of the biggest movies modern cinema has ever produced.

Even though Avatar: Fire and Ash did not reach the same success as the earlier Avatar films, the movie still did better than most franchises could hope for. Staying near the top of the box office for weeks and easily passing the billion-dollar mark shows how huge James Cameron’s sci-fi world still is worldwide. Saldaña has been part of that world from the start, and each new movie adds another big chapter to her total box office earnings.

Of course, the Avatar series is only part of the story. Saldaña also spent years playing Gamora in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, as well as in big crossover films like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. When you add those franchises to her work in Star Trek and other hit movies, the numbers become historic. Instead of one big career moment, Saldaña’s success came from years of regularly being in movies that audiences kept coming back to around the world.

Now that Zoe Saldaña is officially the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood history, her list of films looks like a collection of major blockbusters. Avatar alone grossed nearly USD $2.93 billion worldwide, while Star Trek Into Darkness earned about USD $467 million globally and ranks 10th on her list. Altogether, her movies have reportedly brought in more than USD $15.4 billion worldwide, putting her ahead of Scarlett Johansson for the top spot.

Here are Zoe Saldaña’s 10 highest-grossing films worldwide:

What stands out even more is how consistent her success has been. Five of Saldaña’s films grossed over USD $1 billion worldwide, and four of those exceeded USD $2 billion. Only a handful of actors in Hollywood have been part of so many box-office hits across different eras, which is how Saldaña went from a USD $467 million film at number 10 to becoming the highest-grossing actor ever.

For years, Scarlett Johansson held the title of Hollywood’s highest-grossing actor thanks largely to her role as Black Widow throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her films generated more than USD $16.4 billion worldwide across 56 movies, including massive box office successes like Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War. Johansson also still holds a slight edge in domestic box office totals, with her films earning more than USD $6.2 billion across North America.

Here’s how Zoe Saldaña and Scarlett Johansson compare at the global box office:

The difference came from Zoe Saldaña’s role in the Avatar series. After Avatar: Fire and Ash came out, her total worldwide earnings went over $16.8 billion, officially moving her ahead of Johansson for the top spot. Also notable is Saldaña’s average box-office earnings per movie: her films gross about $383 million worldwide, compared to Johansson’s $293 million average. Both actresses have worked in some of the biggest Hollywood franchises, but Avatar’s huge global success gave Saldaña the final advantage.

While Zoe Saldaña now holds the overall box-office crown, the highest-grossing male actor in Hollywood history is Samuel L. Jackson. Thanks to decades of appearances across major franchises and blockbuster films, Jackson’s movies have generated enormous worldwide totals, helping cement his place among the most successful actors modern Hollywood has ever produced. Much of that success came through his role as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as through appearances in films such as Jurassic Park, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and Incredibles 2.

Following Jackson on the all-time rankings are several names that have dominated blockbuster cinema throughout the last two decades, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Pratt, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks. Looking at the list, one thing becomes obvious very quickly: franchise filmmaking plays a massive role in modern box office success. Marvel alone helped push several actors into historic territory, particularly stars connected to the Avengers films and the wider cinematic universe.

Here are Hollywood’s highest-grossing male actors based on domestic box office totals:

Even outside of Marvel, many of these actors stayed involved in long-running movie series that did well worldwide. Vin Diesel made much of his success from the ‘Fast & Furious’ and Riddick series, while Tom Cruise kept leading action movies through the ‘Mission: Impossible’ series. Actors like Tom Hanks and Dwayne Johnson also showed that lasting success and steady work are just as important as superhero movies. In many ways, these rankings show how modern Hollywood box-office success grows over time by staying connected to big franchises, picking projects that audiences keep coming back to, and being a steady presence across many generations of hit movies.