Zendaya is celebrating a momentous year as she enters her fourth decade, marked by significant career achievements and personal milestones. She was recently named the highest-grossing actress of 2026, a title earned through a series of successful film releases.

The year began with the release of "The Drama," an indie comedy-drama co-starring Robert Pattinson. The film achieved considerable financial success, grossing $132.4 million worldwide against a $28 million budget, making it one of A24's top five highest-grossing films.

Following this, Zendaya portrayed the Greek goddess Athena in "The Odyssey." Despite some controversy regarding casting decisions, the film emerged as a global success, earning $1.458 billion worldwide. It currently stands as the second highest-grossing film of the year, surpassed only by her latest project. In The Odyssey she played the Greek goddess Athena. While there was backlash over the colour blind casting it has made $1.458billion worldwide (pictured with Matt Damon)

Zendaya reprised her role as MJ in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," a Marvel hit that has grossed over $2.235 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of the year to date. This success marks a significant feat for the former child star, who first gained recognition on Disney Channel sitcoms like "Shake It Up" and "K.C. Undercover." It's quite the remarkable feat for the former child star – who made her name on the Disney Channel sitcoms Shake It Up (pictured with Bella Thorne) and K.C. Undercover

In addition to her film work, Zendaya returned to the small screen as Rue Bennett, a drug addict in HBO's "Euphoria." Her performance in the third season, despite criticisms of the plot, earned her an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nomination at the upcoming Primetime Emmys. This year also saw her reprise the role that made her a household name, as she returned to the small screen to play drug addict Rue Bennett in HBO's Euphoria

The actress is also set to reprise her role as Chani in the upcoming "Dune: Part Three," with expectations of another box office success upon its December release. The year's not over yet, with Zendaya set to reprise her role as Chani in the hotly-anticipated Dune: Part Three, which is predicted to be a box office hit upon its release in December.

Beyond her professional achievements, Zendaya also marked a significant personal milestone by marrying her longtime partner, Tom Holland. The couple reportedly held two wedding ceremonies, the first a private event at a five-star hotel in Surrey, and a second near Holland's family home. Holland confirmed their marriage in June, expressing his happiness.

This year has also been highly successful for Holland, whose career has seen him rise to third place among the highest-grossing actors of all time, largely due to the "Spider-Man" franchise. He now ranks behind Scarlett Johansson and Zoe Saldaña. It's also been a good year for Tom, who has leapt to third place in the ranks of the highest-grossing actor of all time, after the success of the Spider-Man franchise

Looking ahead, Zendaya plans to take a brief hiatus after her demanding year. She has future projects lined up, including a voice role in "Shrek 5" and a role as Ronnie Spector in the biopic "Be My Baby." Tom Holland is also reportedly attached to a biopic about Fred Astaire.