Zoe Saldaña’s 10 Highest-Grossing Movies

One of cinema’s most commercially successful actresses, Zoe Saldaña has been a staple of Hollywood since debuting with the teen drama Centre Stage all the way back in 2000. She’s come a long way since, with the actress starring in four of the six highest-grossing movies of all time and featuring in the entirety of the top three. Saldaña’s array of movies have raked in more than $15 billion worldwide at the box office, with her filmography encompassing a diverse range of genres and roles.

The second highest-grossing lead actress in cinematic history behind Scarlett Johansson (via IMDb), Saldaña’s on-screen talent is undeniable. She’s credited for roles in some of the biggest franchises of all time, and her box office domination doesn’t look likely to change any time soon. The upcoming Avatar sequels are likely to be similar box office smash hits in the vein of their predecessors, potentially tacking a few more zeroes onto Saldaña’s already impressive returns.

10

Star Trek (2009)

Worldwide Gross: $387 Million

An ambitious reboot and modernization, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek signaled the beginning of a new dawn for the beloved sci-fi franchise. The 2009 movie received highly positive reviews upon release, with many critics directing praise towards the performances of Star Trek’s “new generation” cast, all of whom were tasked with bringing the series’ iconic characters to life. Dotted among these new faces was Saldaña. She took on the role of Nyota Uhura, originally played by Nichelle Nichols in the original show.

Related

Star Trek 2009 Ending & Movies Future Explained

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek 2009 saw the young Kirk and Spock join forces to save Earth. A deep dive into how Star Trek 2009 ended and what it all means.

Star Trek produced the commercial returns to match its glowing critical response, raking in nearly $387 million worldwide at the box office (via The Numbers). The movie easily earned back its eye-watering budget of more than $150 million, and it even became the first Star Trek film to win an Academy Award, taking home the accolade for Best Makeup at the 82nd Academy Awards.

9

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Worldwide Gross: $467 Million

The sequel to 2009’s Star Trek, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness introduced Benedict Cumberbatch’s terrifying Khan Noonien Singh as the latest evil foil to the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Marking the final movie appearance of the late Leonard Nimoy, the sequel also saw Saldaña reprise her role as Uhura alongside the rest of the core cast members.

While it may not have received the same universal acclaim that its 2009 predecessor did, Star Trek into Darkness garnered mostly positive reviews, earning an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. From a box office perspective, the movie became the highest-grossing entry in the entire Star Trek franchise with a whopping return of more than $467 million (via The Numbers). The sequel produced a conclusive installment in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, but this ultimately landed as the lowest-grossing entry in the reboot trilogy.

8

Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)

Worldwide Gross: $654 Million

Introducing the world to what would go on to become one of the most successful and influential movie franchises of all time, 2003’s The Curse of the Black Pearl still retains its status as the best Pirates of the Caribbean movie by some distance. Inspired by the attraction of the same name at Disney theme parks, Gore Verbinski’s initial outing remains a timeless classic to this day.

In contrast to her other highest-grossing movies, Saldaña doesn’t actually have a hugely prominent role in the proceedings here. The actress plays Anamaria, a female pirate with a predilection for cracking Jack Sparrow in the face as hard as possible due to his history of stealing her ships. However, while Saldaña’s sole Pirates of the Caribbean appearance might not be one of her most celebrated roles, it’s still one of the most profitable. The Curse of the Black Pearl proved to be a hit at the box office, grossing more than $654 million worldwide (via The Numbers).

7

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

Worldwide Gross: $771 Million

One of the best feel good movies that cinema has to offer, Guardians of the Galaxy is widely regarded as one of the MCU’s finest offerings. Introducing audiences to Marvel’s motley crew of extraterrestrial criminals for the first time, the critically acclaimed film saw Saldaña donning the green skin and purple hair of alien assassin Gamora for the first time. This would go on to be the most financially lucrative role of her career, as well as one of her most well-known characters.

Producing the box office returns to match the movie’s positive reviews, Guardians of the Galaxy swiftly became the third highest-grossing movie of 2014 (via Box Office Mojo). James Gunn’s riotous film raked in more than $770 million at the box office, completely justifying its hefty budget of more than $200 million (via The Numbers). This outing marked the Guardians of the Galaxy series as one to watch as the MCU plowed forward.

6

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Worldwide Gross: $845 Million

Concluding one of the best Marvel superhero trilogies of all time, 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 brought James Gunn’s sci-fi bonanza full circle in unashamedly crowd-pleasing fashion. The climactic installment saw Saldaña reprising the role of Gamora in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie for the first time since her return from the dead of sorts in Avengers: Endgame. This allowed the film to close the book on the original group’s story in a satisfactory manner.

Much like its predecessors, Vol. 3 proved to be a critical and commercial success. While it failed to claim the top spot for the highest-grossing Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Gunn’s 2023 picture outperformed the original by more than $100 million. Earning more than $845 million worldwide (via The Numbers), the trilogy’s swan song landed as 2023’s fourth highest-grossing movie, according to Box Office Mojo.

5

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Worldwide Gross: $869 Million

The highest-grossing Guardians of the Galaxy entry in the trilogy, 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 saw Saldaña and the rest of the original movie’s cast return with a bang for their sophomore effort, which attempted to unravel the mysteries at the heart of Peter Quill’s parentage. The movie received positive reviews from fans and critics, although many argued that its predecessor still presented a superior offering.

However, this didn’t have much of an impact on the movie’s financial results, considering that Vol. 2 grossed more than $869 million at the box office worldwide (via The Numbers). Remarkably, this colossal sum only saw James Gunn’s picture land as the eighth highest-grossing movie of the year, overshadowed by blockbuster titans in the vein of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Fate of the Furious. In any case, Vol. 2 remains Saldana’s fifth highest-grossing piece of work to date.

4

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Worldwide Gross: $2 Billion

The first installment of the cinematic event that the MCU had been building to since Iron Man back in 2008, 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War kicked off the showdown between Earth’s mightiest heroes and Josh Brolin’s Thanos. The film saw Saldaña appearing as Gamora outside the Guardians of the Galaxy movies for the first time, and she took on a pivotal role in Thanos’ quest to destroy half of all life in the universe.

Unsurprisingly, Infinity War’s performance at the box office mirrored the widespread hype associated with the movie, which broke records left and right. The fourth highest-grossing movie ever made at the time of its release, Infinity War ended the year as 2018’s most financially profitable movie. Earning a titanic $2 billion at the box office (via The Numbers), the Russo Brothers’ film also became the first superhero movie to attain this financial benchmark.

3

Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022)

Worldwide Gross: $2.3 Billion

A highly anticipated sequel more than a decade in the making, 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water saw the return of most of the characters from James Cameron’s iconic 2009 sci-fi epic. Chief among them was Zoe Saldaña’s Na’vi charge, Neytiri. Much like the original, The Way of Water received mostly positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised the movie’s stunning visuals while lamenting its shortcomings in the script writing and pacing departments.

While it failed to topple its predecessor’s returns at the box office, Avatar: The Way of Water still grossed more than $2.3 billion worldwide to justify its mind-blowing budget of approximately $400 million (via The Numbers). 2022’s most profitable movie by a considerable stretch ahead of Top Gun: Maverick’s $1.5 billion, Cameron’s sequel is the third highest-grossing film in the history of cinema.

2

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Worldwide Gross: $2.7 Billion

It should come as little surprise that box office titan Avengers: Endgame is Zoe Saldaña’s highest-grossing movie outside the Avatar franchise. Bringing Thanos’ world-ending story arc from Avengers: Infinity War full circle, the 2019 sequel blew its predecessor out of the water at the box office in short order. In fact, it surpassed its entire theatrical run in the span of just 11 days (via EW).

Taking home more than $2.7 billion worldwide (via The Numbers), Avengers: Endgame is officially the second highest-grossing movie of all time, in addition to being Saldana’s second most profitable film appearance. The culmination of the first three phases of the MCU saw a version of Gamora from an alternate timeline stepping into the void left by the original, following her death at Thanos’ hands in 2018’s Infinity War.

1

Avatar (2009)

Worldwide Gross: $2.9 Billion

Avatar

Release Date

December 15, 2009

Runtime

162 minutes

Stream

The highest-grossing movie of all time, 2009’s Avatar still reigns supreme from a commercial perspective, even over a decade after the sci-fi epic’s 2009 release. Introducing Saldaña’s character Neytiri to global audiences for the first time, James Cameron’s visually stunning box office titan has raked in more than $2.9 billion worldwide since its debut (via The Numbers). The franchise shows no sign of slowing down any time soon either, with three more Avatar sequels slated for release by 2031.

Related

“It Doesn’t Work That Way”: Avatar 3 Will Address Something James Cameron Says Hollywood Always Gets Wrong

Avatar: Fire and Ash will address something that creator James Cameron says Hollywood always gets wrong, explaining how it will be remedied.

It speaks volumes to Zoe Saldaña‘s immense profitability as an actress that her most financially successful movie just so happens to be the highest-grossing film of all time. The movie was briefly overtaken by Avengers: Endgame from 2019 to 2022, but adjustments for international re-releases have seen Avatar ultimately come out on top.

Source: The Numbers, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo