Zoe Saldaña Surpasses Samuel L. Jackson to Claim a Major Box Office Record

Zoe Saldaña has officially moved ahead of Samuel L. Jackson and is now the second highest-grossing actor of all time at the worldwide box office. The update comes as Avatar 3 continues to perform strongly in theaters and pushes Saldaña even closer to the top spot currently held by Scarlett Johansson.

According to data from The Numbers, Saldaña’s movies, counting only leading roles and leading ensemble roles, have now earned a massive $14,998,849,825 worldwide. That total places her just behind Johansson, whose box office record stands at $15,401,507,141. Samuel L. Jackson, who previously held second place, now sits at $14,613,700,731 based on the same source.

The gap between Saldaña and Johansson is shrinking fast. Avatar: Fire and Ash has already made around $760 million globally, and its run is far from over. Saldaña plays Neytiri in the Avatar franchise, a role she has held since the first film released in 2009. The success of the series continues to be a major reason behind her climb up the box office rankings.

Saldaña has made it clear that she is more than ready to keep playing Neytiri for years to come. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, she was asked if she was prepared to return for Avatar 4 and Avatar 5.

She answered with a smile, “Every time. Yes…As long as the fans keep connecting to this and they keep wanting it to come back, then we will continue to do that, obviously with the support of Disney.”

The Avatar franchise has been a box office powerhouse from the start. The original Avatar, released in December 2009, earned over $2.9 billion worldwide and holds an 81 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Avatar: The Way of Water followed in December 2022 and brought in more than $2.3 billion with a 76 percent Rotten Tomatoes score. Avatar: Fire and Ash, released in December 2025, has already crossed $761 million worldwide and currently holds a 67 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!