Recently, the Avatar franchise was responsible for making another bit of box office history. Thanks to the $1 billion haul of Avatar: Fire and Ash, Zoe Saldaña is now the highest-grossing actor of all time. Her leading roles have earned $15.4 billion worldwide. Over the course of her career, Saldaña has appeared in some of the industry’s biggest blockbusters, including all three Avatar films, several Marvel Cinematic Universe installments, and a trilogy of Star Trek movies. With a filmography like that, it isn’t surprising that she leads the pack when it comes to box office receipts. However, Saldaña may not hold on to her new title for very long. By 2026’s end, there could be a new box office champion in Hollywood.
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Saldaña’s former Marvel co-star Chris Pratt is no stranger to studio tentpoles himself. In addition to his work in the MCU, Pratt headlined a trilogy of Jurassic World movies (all of which grossed over $1 billion) and had voice-over roles in the successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Lego Movie. Depending on how things turn out this year, Pratt could leap past his fellow Guardian of the Galaxy on the all-time charts — though there’s yet another Marvel actor who could have final say in that.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Should Be Another Major Hit for Chris Pratt
Pratt is the star of what should be one of the biggest box office hits of 2026. In April, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie comes out, hot on the heels of its record-breaking predecessor. The original Super Mario Bros. Movie is the highest-grossing video game movie of all time, bringing in a whopping $1.362 billion during its run back in 2023. The sequel is well-positioned to rival or possibly exceed that total. Once again, Universal has slotted a Mario movie into the first weekend of April — the same window where A Minecraft Movie also proved to be a monumental success. Anticipation for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is high thanks to the film’s fun premise and expanded cast of characters from Mario lore.
As of this writing, Pratt’s worldwide total for leading roles stands at $14.1 billion. Sci-fi thriller Mercy will pad that a little, but The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is where Pratt’s numbers will get a massive boost. Depending on how successful the animated sequel is, Pratt could find himself in a virtual tie with Saldaña by the time the film is out of theaters. If The Super Mario Galaxy Movie equals its predecessor’s haul of $1.3 billion, then Pratt’s career earnings as a lead will be roughly $15.4 billion (same as Saldaña). Even in the event Super Mario Galaxy finishes a little below the first film, Pratt will be right on his old co-star’s heels.
Of course, there is another significant 2026 movie that could feature Pratt. Avengers: Doomsday finally arrives this December, marking the beginning of the end for the Multiverse Saga. As evidenced by the four teaser trailers that have been released so far, a plethora of Marvel characters will be appearing. It remains to be seen, however, if Star-Lord will be one of them. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 promised audiences that Star-Lord will return, though exactly when is unknown. Pratt had scheduling conflicts that reportedly prevented him from appearing in Doomsday, but the door was left open for a possible comeback. Until Doomsday premieres, there’s always a chance Star-Lord could be a late addition.
Whether or not Doomsday will count towards Pratt’s total is another matter. Remember, Saldaña’s record is specifically for leading roles, meaning projects where she is the main star or a key part of the ensemble. If Pratt is in Doomsday and doesn’t have much screen time, that could work against him. However, it’s worth noting that there’s seemingly no rhyme or reason as to what’s considered a “lead ensemble role.” On the box office tracking site The Numbers, Pratt’s turn in Thor: Love and Thunder is relegated to the “supporting” category, but Avengers: Endgame is listed under “leading or lead ensemble roles.” Star-Lord is in Endgame for only a few minutes, as the character spent much of the run time snapped out of existence. So, ultimately, it depends on how Doomsday is classified (again, assuming Pratt is even in it).
Robert Downey Jr. Could Be the New Box Office Champion in 2026
If Pratt is unable to best Saldaña’s record this year, there’s another Marvel veteran who could challenge her for the top spot. We know for a fact that Robert Downey Jr. is in Avengers: Doomsday, and since he’s playing the film’s main villain, it’s safe to assume the movie will fall under the umbrella of “leading or lead ensemble roles.” There’s no doubt that Doomsday‘s gross will count towards Downey’s career total as far as the all-time record is concerned.
As of this writing, Downey’s cumulative worldwide gross as a lead stands at $14.315. Currently, there’s a gap of approximately $1.155 billion between him and Saldaña. That difference will have increased by the time Doomsday arrives in theaters over the holiday season. Avatar: Fire and Ash is still playing, and while it’s unlikely to reach the $2 billion milestone, it’s going to keep adding to its total over the next several weeks. That said, Saldaña’s lead over Downey should not be insurmountable, especially since Downey has Doomsday on the way. Saldaña’s time in the MCU is seemingly over, and she doesn’t have anything else on the immediate horizon that could further boost her numbers. She may reprise her role as Neytiri in Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, but it remains to be seen when (or if) those films will happen — and if Neytiri has a sizable role in either or both.
If Downey is going to surpass Saldaña this year, he probably needs Doomsday to gross in excess of $1.2 billion. That is a figure that every Avengers movie to date has easily cleared. The lowest-grossing Avengers installment is Age of Ultron, which brought in $1.405 billion over a decade ago. Of course, it’s worth mentioning that the MCU (and moviegoing habits in general) are in a very different place now. The franchise’s standing in the pop culture zeitgeist has taken a bit of a hit in recent years, however, the MCU is still more than capable of drawing audiences to the theater. For all that’s been said about Marvel’s box office disappointments, the Multiverse Saga has produced some of their biggest hits.
Only two Multiverse Saga installments have crossed the $1 billion threshold, but they’re notable ones — especially within the context of Avengers: Doomsday. Spider-Man: No Way Home was the first bona fide post-pandemic blockbuster smash with $1.928 billion worldwide. In 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine set records to the tune of $1.338 billion. One thing those films have in common is incorporation of nostalgia, bringing back fan favorites such as Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Hugh Jackman to become must-see cinematic events. Audiences didn’t want to miss out when those films were opening, leading to massive box office totals. Doomsday is pulling pages from the same playbook, with MCU legacy actors like Downey and Chris Evans (plus Fox’s X-Men veterans) back in the fold. Assuming Doomsday is well-received, it could end up flying past $1.2 billion, especially since it won’t be facing too much competition over late December and early January 2027. And if Saldaña is still on top after Doomsday, Downey should eventually beat her out thanks to Avengers: Secret Wars.
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