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 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.