Zoe Saldana occupies a throne no other actor in Hollywood can claim: she’s the face of three billion-dollar franchises, across three major studios. As Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar (20th Century Studios), Gamora in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers saga (Marvel Studios), and Uhura in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot trilogy (Paramount Pictures), she has cemented her status as the undisputed queen of sci-fi.
Few actors can say they’ve headlined three of the ten highest-grossing films ever made. Even fewer can do so while balancing blockbuster spectacle with quieter, dramatic turns in films like Crossroads or cult action entries like Colombiana. Saldana is both critic-approved and audience-beloved.
This ranking matters because Zoe Saldana is a performer whose choices reshaped billion-dollar legacies while keeping genre fans invested for decades.
How We Ranked Zoe Saldana’s Films
- Data Sources: Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer & Audience Score as of 2024), Box Office Mojo, The Numbers.
- Inclusion Criteria:
- Theatrically released films.
- ≥10 minutes of screen time or a named lead/supporting role.
- Excludes shorts, documentaries, and uncredited cameos.
Each entry includes year, director, character, Rotten Tomatoes score, global box office gross, and a key insight into why it ranks where it does.
The Complete Ranking – Zoe Saldana Films from Lowest to Highest Composite Score
#15 – Crossroads (2002)
Director: Tamra Davis
Role: Kit
RT: 14%
Box Office: $61M
Why It’s Here: Saldana’s debut alongside Britney Spears bombed critically but lives on as a cult favorite. The drama may not have won Critics’ Choice Awards, but it gave Saldana her first brush with pop culture infamy.
#14 – Guess Who (2005)
Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Role: Theresa Jones (lead)
RT: 37%
Box Office: $140M
Takeaway: A mid-2000s rom-com spin on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, this time flipping the racial dynamics. The film performed solidly at the box office, but critics dismissed it as formulaic and lacking substance. Saldana, however, brought warmth and credibility to Theresa.
#13 – Haven (2004)
Director: Frank E. Flowers
Role: Andrea
RT: 36%
Box Office: $1.2M
Insight: Barely released, barely seen. A low-profile indie drama set in the Cayman Islands, Haven barely reached audiences. Although Saldana delivered sincerity, the film’s fragmented storytelling and limited release left a minimal footprint.
#12 – The Terminal (2004)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Role: Dolores Torres
RT: 61%
Box Office: $219M
Note: Steven Spielberg’s airport dramedy gave Saldana a quirky role as a Trekkie customs officer. The film charmed audiences, but her contribution remains more of a fun trivia note than a breakthrough.
#11 – Colombiana (2011)
Director: Olivier Megaton
Role: Cataleya Restrepo
RT: 27%
Box Office: $63M
Verdict: As Cataleya, Saldana headlined a Luc Besson-produced revenge thriller that leaned heavily on style. Critics dismissed it, yet audiences appreciated her intensity, giving the film a modest afterlife as a cult favorite.
#10 – Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Role: Uhura
RT: 87%
Box Office: $467M
Strength: Visually sleek and commercially successful, Abrams’ sequel earned critical praise. Still, Uhura’s presence felt diminished, overshadowed by Khan’s villainy, leaving Saldana underused despite the film’s place in Paramount’s rebooted franchise run.
#9 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Director: James Gunn
Role: Gamora
RT: 83%
Box Office: $869M
Why Not Higher?: Saldana reprised Gamora with quiet emotional weight, especially in her fraught relationship with Nebula. Yet compared to the first film’s freshness, Vol. 2 felt more spectacle-driven than character-defining for her.
#8 – Star Trek (2009)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Role: Uhura
RT: 95%
Box Office: $386M
Legacy: Abrams revitalized Paramount’s space opera, introducing Saldana’s Uhura as emotionally rich, competent, and grounded. Her portrayal modernized the character, securing Zoe’s reputation as a key figure in contemporary sci-fi cinema.
#7 – Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Director: James Gunn
Role: Gamora
RT: 91%
Box Office: $772M
Impact: Marvel took its biggest gamble with James Gunn’s cosmic oddballs, and Saldana’s Gamora grounded the chaos. Her strength, humor, and vulnerability balanced the ensemble, helping transform obscure characters into household names.
#6 – Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Directors: Anthony & Joe Russo
Role: Gamora
RT: 85%
Box Office: $2.05B
Why It Works: Here, Gamora became the beating heart of Marvel’s darkest chapter. Her sacrifice defined Thanos’ quest, giving Zoe Saldana one of the MCU’s most emotionally resonant and narratively crucial performances.
#5 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Director: James Gunn
Role: Gamora (alternate timeline)
RT: 83%
Box Office: $845M
Note: As an alternate Gamora, Saldana portrayed a hardened warrior slowly rediscovering connection. Her nuanced work anchored the trilogy’s farewell, giving audiences a bittersweet but satisfying closure to Marvel’s cosmic family.
#4 – Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Directors: Anthony & Joe Russo
Role: Gamora (2014 variant)
RT: 94%
Box Office: $2.79B
Why It’s Legendary: Though her screen time was brief, Gamora’s return during the climactic battle tied Zoe Saldana to Marvel’s greatest cultural moment. The film redefined event cinema and became a historic box office juggernaut.
#3 – Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Director: James Cameron
Role: Neytiri
RT: 76%
Box Office: $2.32B
Achievement: James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel again spotlighted Saldana’s raw, motion-capture brilliance as Neytiri. With maternal ferocity and emotional intensity, she anchored a $2B spectacle that proved the enduring power of Avatar.
#2 – Avatar (2009)
Director: James Cameron
Role: Neytiri
RT: 82%
Box Office: $2.92B (all-time #1 until Endgame)
Cultural Impact: Cameron’s sci-fi epic not only reinvented 3D cinema but also immortalized Saldana as Neytiri. Her performance balanced otherworldly elegance with human vulnerability, cementing her place as a cornerstone of blockbuster storytelling.
#1 – Star Trek (2009)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Role: Uhura
RT: 95%
Box Office: $386M
Why It Wins: Saldana’s Uhura embodied intelligence, poise, and authority, modernizing an iconic role for new audiences. Critically adored and commercially strong, the film showcased Zoe’s ability to elevate established IP into fresh cinematic prestige.
Standout Performances Beyond the Rankings
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Voice Roles – My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)
While Zoe Saldana is best known for motion-capture work, she’s also flexed her vocal talents in lighter, family-friendly fare. In My Little Pony: The Movie (2017), she voiced Captain Celaeno, a swashbuckling parrot pirate who guides the ponies on their quest.
The film earned a modest 48% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed around $60 million worldwide, but Saldana’s performance stood out for injecting charisma into an animated role.
- Animation/Drama Crossovers – The Book of Life (2014)
Saldana voiced Maria Posada in Guillermo del Toro-produced The Book of Life, a visually dazzling animated fantasy inspired by Día de los Muertos. The film sits at the crossroads of animation, folklore, and heartfelt drama — a genre blend perfectly suited for her talents. Playing Maria, a strong-willed and compassionate heroine caught in a love triangle, Saldana proved she could bring emotional depth to stylized animation.
The movie was well received critically and commercially (over $100M worldwide), reinforcing her reputation as a versatile performer who thrives in both blockbuster spectacle and culturally rich storytelling.
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Upcoming Projects – Avatar 3 (2025) & Beyond
Looking ahead, Zoe Saldana’s dominance in sci-fi isn’t slowing. She is set to return as Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar 3 (20th Century Studios, scheduled for December 2025). Given the franchise’s track record — two entries grossing over $2 billion each — expectations are massive. Saldana herself has hinted that Neytiri’s arc will deepen, with a focus on motherhood, grief, and tribal conflict. On the Marvel side, while James Gunn has wrapped his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, rumors swirl about a possible Guardians Vol. 4 or ensemble return. If Marvel Studios does revisit Gamora, it would likely be in a new context, offering Saldana a chance to evolve the character yet again.
Why Zoe Saldana Dominates Sci-Fi Cinema
- The Trifecta: Avatar (20th Century Studios), Guardians/Avengers (Marvel Studios), and Star Trek (Paramount Pictures).
- Motion-Capture Mastery: Neytiri and Gamora prove their ability to humanize CGI with emotional realism.
- Box Office Reliability: Five films grossing over $700M; four crossing the billion-dollar mark.
- Awards Recognition: Multiple Saturn Awards, Critics’ Choice nods, and part of Avatar’s Oscar-winning legacy.
Conclusion – The Box Office & Critical Powerhouse
Few actors in modern Hollywood can claim to have redefined an entire genre, yet Zoe Saldana has done it across three. Her career is more than enough to make studio executives bow. Zoe Saldana is the blockbuster. She bridges Spielberg-level drama, James Gunn’s comedic chaos, J.J. Abrams’ nostalgic revivalism, and James Cameron’s technological revolutions.
Her sci-fi legacy is unmatched among modern actresses, blending critical acclaim with commercial dominance. The legacy she leaves is one of duality: the global scale of billion-dollar epics and the personal artistry of performances that linger long after the credits roll. As she steps into Avatar 3 and whatever future Marvel or Star Trek chapters may await, one thing is certain — Zoe Saldana’s roles define some of the biggest films of our time.
