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 IV: The Quest for Peace the box office. It ended up with a total domestic gross of $15,681,020. Of the four Superman films starring Reeve, "The Quest for Peace" fared the worst at the box office, and the series went dormant for the following nineteen years. Reeve regretted his decision to be involved in the film, saying, ""Superman IV" was a catastrophe from start to finish. That failure was a huge blow to my career." Plans were made to make a "Superman V", but they never came to fruition. Reeve's 1995 paralysis made any further development of sequels involving him in the starring role impossible.