Avengers: Infinity War recently entered the ranks of a very elite club of movies as it finally broke a Marvel Studios record by earning more than $2 billion at the global box office. What’s more, this is also a big deal for one of Infinity War‘s many A-list stars. Specifically, Zoe Salanda, who plays Thanos’ adoptive daughter Gamora.
Once you combine her performance in Infinity War with 2009’s sci-fi phenomenon Avatar, Saldana is now the only actor to feature in a leading role in two movies that’ve earned over $2 billion. For those who need a refresher, the Guardians of the Galaxy star appeared as Neytiri, the Na’Vi princess who falls for Sam Worthington’s human character in James Cameron’s groundbreaking blockbuster.
The director’s infamously been working on a bunch of sequels for the best part of a decade so, and when Avatar 2 finally does arrive, it could well replicate the first one’s success, meaning that Saldana might add a third bow to her impressive resume. And let’s not forget her role as Uhura in the popular Star Trek series, either.
Her best shot, though, at another $2 billion effort has to be next May’s Avengers 4. If Infinity War earned this much, surely its climactic sequel – set to close the book on the MCU as we know it – will, too, right? After that, Saldana also has Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on the cards, as well. In short, she has and will help sail many sci-fi movies to massive box office success.
As Cinema Blend points out, it’s significant that an actress of color such as Zoe Saldana is the first Hollywood star to break this massive milestone. After all, there’s been an increasing call for the movie business to be diversified in recent years, with many pushing for more films to star both women and non-white talent.
It’s also worth mentioning that the highest-grossing actor of all-time is another actor of color, Samuel L. Jackson. He actually already had this accolade prior to his cameo as Nick Fury in Avengers: Infinity War, but the movie definitely helped his total. Fellow Marvel heavy hitters like Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson are, of course, up there as well, and now we’re just left wondering who else might join them after next May’s sequel?
