Superman (1978 film) Superman (1978 film) Superman (informally titled Superman: The Movie in some listings and reference sources) is a 1978 superhero film directed by Richard Donner starring Christopher Reeve as Superman based on the DC Comics character of the same name. An international co-production between the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Panama and the United States, the film stars an ensemble cast featuring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Trevor Howard, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp, Valerie Perrine, Ned Beatty, Jack O'Halloran, Maria Schell, and Sarah Douglas. It depicts Superman's origin, including his infancy as
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