Zoe Saldaña Surpasses Scarlett Johansson as Highest-Grossing Actress

There’s been a surprising twist in Hollywood. On the January 17 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” Colin Jost, who hosts “Weekend Update,” announced that Zoe Saldaña has overtaken Scarlett Johansson to become the highest-grossing actress in film history.

As he shared the news, a graphic highlighting the box office earnings of both actresses was displayed on screen.

“Let’s see what happens if we factor in the box office returns from Scarlett’s husband’s film,” Jost joked, bringing some lightheartedness to the moment.

Interestingly, according to numbers, Jost’s films have grossed about $488 million. He’s featured in movies like “Bad Guys 2” and “Tom and Jerry.”

M. Johansson, who is 41, and Jost tied the knot in 2020 and they have a four-year-old son named Cosmo. Johansson also has an 11-year-old daughter, Rose, from her previous marriage to Romain Dauriac.

During the segment, Jost humorously noted how Johansson’s total earnings dropped from $15.4 billion to $15.1 billion. He laughed aloud and exclaimed, “Did you fall?” as if shocked.

The significant success of “Avatar: Fire and Ashes,” along with the previous “Avatar” films, has helped Saldaña’s films generate over $16.9 billion globally.

Specifically, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” alone made $1.23 billion worldwide.

Saldaña has been involved in numerous popular franchises, including Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the “Star Trek” series, and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

On the other hand, Johansson’s films, which include hits from Marvel and “Jurassic World,” have amassed approximately $16.4 billion combined at the global box office.

The day before Jost’s announcement, Saldaña expressed her excitement on social media about her newfound status in the industry. She publicly thanked everyone who had supported her journey and emphasized how the achievement was a collective effort stemming from her collaborations and projects.