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Hollywood has a new queen bee, and the money made from her movie portfolio outmatches the market caps of billion-dollar companies like Alaska Airlines and H&R Block. Academy Award-winning star Zoe Salda\u00f1a was just crowned the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood, surpassing Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson after a breakout year of entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The movies Salda\u00f1a has starred in as a leading actress have earned a staggering $15.47 billion\u2014ranking her above every other actor in the world\u2014according to recent data from The Numbers. Following the immense $1.08 billion global success of Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/em>, she finally overtook her Marvel peer Johansson ($15.4 billion) and Hollywood icon Jackson ($14.6 billion), who ranked above her in 2024.<\/p>\n The 47-year-old is also the first woman in Hollywood to have starred in four projects that have amassed more than $2 billion globally. And 2025 was her year\u2014aside from the success of Fire and Ash<\/em>, she won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Emilia P\u00e9rez<\/em>, becoming the first Dominican American to win an Academy Award.\u00a0<\/p>\n Salda\u00f1a took to the internet to celebrate her most recent milestone. \u201cI just want to express my sincerest gratitude for the extraordinary journey that has led me to become the highest-grossing film actor of all time today,\u201d Salda\u00f1a said in an Instagram video. \u201cAn achievement made possible entirely, entirely by the incredible franchises and the collaborators that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of, to every director who placed their trust in me.\u201d<\/p>\n She also credited the directors of some of her biggest franchise hits\u2014from Star Trek<\/em> and Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em>, to Avengers<\/em> <\/em>and Avatar<\/em>\u2014in challenging her and shaping her as an artist. But it\u2019s her mom who gave her the biggest career advice, Salda\u00f1a has previously admitted.<\/p>\n Throughout her 27-year career starring in billion-dollar franchises and indie flicks, Salda\u00f1a has made her mark on Hollywood despite the challenges. As a woman and Latina in the movie industry, the actress has faced barriers and felt the pressure to work \u201ctwice as hard, because I\u2019m a woman,\u201d she told CNBC Make It.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n In those tough moments, Salda\u00f1a leaned on the advice her mother gave her earlier on\u2014which she \u201cdidn\u2019t know how powerful that [advice] was going to be\u201d until she had to navigate her own unique obstacles in entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe was always reminding me that I mattered,\u201d Saldana told CNBC Make It<\/em> <\/em>in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe was like, \u2018Don\u2019t forget about you\u2026Don\u2019t forget about your happiness. Don\u2019t forget about your beauty. Don\u2019t forget about your opinion.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The five top-grossing actresses and actors in leading roles at the worldwide box office, according to recent data from The Numbers:\u00a0<\/p>\nLeaning on this critical advice while breaking barriers in Hollywood<\/h2>\n
Hollywood\u2019s top-grossing actresses and actors\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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