Star Zoe Saldana makes a return alongside Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver
AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Zoe Saldana was paid $100,000 for her role as Gamora in 2014's "Guardians," reports say
  • Saldana is the second-highest-grossing film actress of all time
  • She appeared in four blockbuster films that surpassed $2 billion at the box office

Zoe Saldana may not have earned as much as fans think from her stint as Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Saldana is the second-highest-grossing film actress of all time, surpassed only by Scarlett Johansson, whose movies have earned over $14 billion at the box office. But while Johansson is estimated to be worth $165 million, Saldana has an estimated net worth of $40 million despite her movies having earned more than $11 billion, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

The 44-year-old actress, who recently announced that the upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy" film will be her last, was reportedly paid just $100,000 for the first film in the franchise, according to The Things and Spanish newspaper Marca. International Business Times could not independently verify this information.

It is unclear if Saldana was paid an additional fee following the success of the first "Guardians," which became one of the top 3 highest-grossing films of 2014 after earning about $773 million at the global box office.

The Things suggested that Saldana's salary could have been much higher for 2017's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and the upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," to be released on May 5.

Saldana reportedly took home $3 million for 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War" and earned an estimated $11 million for "Avengers: Endgame," according to Marca.

But after nearly a decade of being part of the MCU, Saldana is saying goodbye to Gamora — a member of the intergalactic team Guardians and a former assassin who worked for the villain Thanos.

In an interview for The Hollywood Reporter's cover story featuring the cast and crew of "Guardians," the actress said that she's done playing the character.

"I don't think this is the end for the Guardians. It is the end for me, for Gamora," Saldana said, adding that she gave a goodbye speech to the crew she has worked with for years on the last day of filming.

Saldana was almost killed off in the second "Guardians" movie, but director James Gunn ultimately decided to keep her around. She then starred in other films in the MCU, making "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" her fifth time playing Gamora.

In addition to her MCU films, Saldana also starred in the blockbuster hits "Avatar" (2009) and "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022) as Neytiri. The latter earned her the title of the first-ever actress in history to star in four films that surpassed $2 billion at the global box office.

Saldana's other projects include "Drumline," "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Haven," the "Star Trek" franchise, "The Losers," "Death at a Funeral" and "Colombiana."

She owns an $8.7 million home in Hidden Valley Estates in Beverly Hills, California.

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