Superman in film the script, giving it a serious feel with Christ-like overtones. Christopher Reeve was cast as Superman, having initially failed to impress the Salkinds before bulking up. Brando meanwhile, despite spending less than two weeks on the shoot, and not even reading the script until then, earned $3.7 million up front, plus 11.75% of the gross profits from the film. The film was a success both critically and commercially, being released during the Christmas season of 1978; it did not have much competition, leading the producers to believe that this was one factor in the film's success. Shooting of the two
Superman budget of $55 million (AFI $). It is the most successful Superman feature film to date in terms of box office revenue adjusted for inflation. The soundtrack was composed by John Williams and was nominated for an Academy Award; the title theme has become iconic. "Superman" (1978) was the first big-budget superhero movie, and its success arguably paved the way for later superhero movies like "Batman" (1989) and "Spider-Man" (2002). The 1978 movie spawned four sequels: "Superman II" (1980), "Superman III" (1983), "" (1987) and "Superman Returns" (2006); the last of which replaced Reeve with Brandon Routh. In 2013, "Man