Scarlett Johansson’s box office reignhas concluded.
As of January 12, Zoe Saldaña has surpassed Johansson to become the highest-earning actor in film history, thanks toJames Cameron’s Avatar series.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, the most recent addition to the series, was released$1.23 billion earned worldwide at the cinemaWednesday, increasing Saldaña’s overall earnings to $16.8 billion, as reported by an industry magazine The Numbers.
The Oscar-winning actor, 47, has consistently risen on the charts throughout her career, featuring in 18 films, including big hits such as the Avatar movies, as well asGuardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Infinity WarandPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.She is the sole performer to appear in the three most successful films ever made:Avatar, Avengers: Endgame and Avatar: The Way of Water.
Johansson, who starred alongside Saldaña in Marvel films, now holds the second position on the list with $16.4 billion. She had previously risen rapidly fromthird position to first place last summer with the release of Jurassic World Rebirth.
Approximately $6 billion of Saldaña’s earnings stem from her portrayal of Neytiri in Cameron’s science fiction movies, whereas the bulk of Johansson’s achievements come from her performance as Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The remaining actors listed among the top earners are also recognized for their contributions to the Marvel series, with Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Pratt completing the top five.
Although she has a number of hit films to her name, Saldaña haspreviously mentioned the challenges of creativitywhich can support efforts on major film series.
“What is the best way to discuss this without making those amazing directors feel as though I’m disappointing them?” Saldaña said.The Independent’s Annabel Nugent in December 2024, several months prior to her winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance inEmilia Perez.
Because I’m not overlooking those moments; they’re why I’m here,” she added. “However, when you become part of something that was truly unique from the start, and due to its current success, it now fuels a commercial system that demands much more time and thus operates independently… Unless you have creative control over the project, the amount of influence you as an artist can have is [reduced]. Now, I play a smaller role in a larger endeavor.
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