Marvel Star Officially Dethroned As Highest-Grossing Actor Of All Time by Their Endgame Co-Star

The highest-grossing actor of all time probably isn’t who you think it is. Even in the prime heyday of marquee movie stars driving Hollywood, the returns on those films were nothing compared to the modern hauls taken in by blockbuster franchises. If a modern actor is lucky enough to land a place in one of those franchises, their earning power (and price) can quickly skyrocket; if an actor lands roles in multiple blockbuster franchises, the records they can break are limitless.

Case in point: Scarlett Johansson. With her roles in franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jurassic World, animated voice roles (Sing, Disney’s The Jungle Book), Transformers One, SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Isle of Dogs) and roles working with virtually every auteur in Hollywood (Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Taika Waititi, Michael Bay, Sophia Coppola, Christopher Nolan, Cameron Crowe, etc.), Johansson has dominated the box office in the 21st century… until now. As of writing this, Scarlett Johansson has been dethroned as the highest-grossing actor of all time by one of her very own MCU co-stars.

Zoe Saladana Is Now the Highest-Grossing Actor of All Time

According to industry analysts and box office tabulations, Zoe Saldana has become the highest-grossing actor of all time, with over $15.4 billion in box office receipts. That figure pushes Saldana past Johansson’s $14.8B earnings, which is followed closely by Samuel L. Jackson’s estimated $14.6B and Robert Downey Jr.’s $14.3B figure.

Read Next

Every Geeky Movie & TV Show That Won At the 2026 Golden Globes

The common thread here is that, obviously, all four actors are major faces of the MCU, appearing in multiple top-tier film series within the franchise, including the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America films. Now, admittedly, Jackson, Johansson, and Saldana sometimes get credited for films they barely had any presence in, thanks to the MCU’s shared universe format. Saldana walks an especially fine line in that regard, as her earnings include bit roles in film series like Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, just her major Disney trifecta (Pirates, Marvel, Avatar) is enough to push her to the head of the pack, but add the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies of the late-2000s, a handful of cult-classics (Colombiana, Drumline, Crossroads, The Adam Project), and a spattering of voice roles, and it’s clear why Saladana is queen of the box office in this modern era.

A New Box Office Champion Could Be Crowned In 2026

Zoe Saldana should probably take this year to have all the meetings, while her title sits unchallenged. By the end of the year, the rankings may not be the same.

Robert Downey Jr. is certainly going to be one to watch: the MCU crossover event Avengers: Doomsday is poised to be the biggest film the franchise (or industry) has ever seen. Downey is the headliner of that film, and his return to the MCU (following his iconic run as Iron Man) is arguably the big story in fandom this year. We know Downey will be center stage for Doomsday, but we have no confirmation that Johansson, Saldana, or Jackson will be appearing in the film. If it is the cultural milestone that Disney and Marvel Studios hope it is, Downey’s earnings figures will be jumping up – followed soonafter by the Avengers: Secret Wars sequel he will also be starring in.

Meanwhile, Zoe Saldana’s future with Avatar is looking far less certain after the third film, Fire and Ash. If James Cameron pivots to a different format (books, etc.) to finish the series, that’s a guaranteed $1-$2 billion off of Saldana’s future earnings. Both Saldana and Johansson have also seemingly left the MCU for good – ironically, after both their characters died the same way (to obtain the Soul Stone) in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame (respectively).

You can stream Zoe Saldana’s Avatar and MCU films on Disney+ or the Star Trek movies on Paramount+. Let us know your favorite role – or who you think the next highest-grossing actor will be – on the ComicBook Forum!