Superman Returns

Superman Returns
Superman above the United States at night; his shirt and tights are blue, with a yellow insignia with a red border and stylized "S" on his chest; his cape, briefs and boots are red, and he wears a yellow belt with a similar insignia on the buckle as on his chest.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBryan Singer
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Bryan Singer
  • Michael Dougherty
  • Dan Harris
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNewton Thomas Sigel
Edited by
Music byJohn Ottman
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • June 21, 2006 (2006-06-21) (Los Angeles)
  • June 28, 2006 (2006-06-28) (United States)
Running time
154 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget
  • $223 million (gross)
  • $204 million (net)
Box office$391.1 million[3]

Superman Returns is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris, based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a homage sequel to Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980),[4][5] ignoring the events of Superman III (1983), Supergirl (1984), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).[4] The film stars Brandon Routh as Superman, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, with James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint and Parker Posey in supporting roles. In the film, Superman returns to Earth after five years and discovers that his love interest Lois Lane has moved on from him and that his archenemy Lex Luthor is planning to kill him and reshape North America.

After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Superman following the critical and financial failure of The Quest for Peace, Warner Bros. Pictures hired Singer to direct Superman Returns in July 2004. The majority of principal photography took place at Fox Studios Australia, Sydney while the visual effects sequences were handled by a number of studios, including Sony Pictures Imageworks, Rhythm & Hues Studios (R&H), Framestore CFC, Rising Sun Pictures and The Orphanage;[6] filming began in March 2005 and ended in November.

Upon release, the film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its visual effects, storyline and Singer's direction, but criticized its screenplay and runtime. While the film was one of the biggest films of the year, earning over $391.1 million on a budget of $204–223 million and becoming the ninth highest-grossing film of 2006, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the worldwide box office return and cancelled a sequel for release in 2009. The Superman film series was rebooted twice, first with 2013's Man of Steel, which was directed by Zack Snyder and starred Henry Cavill as Superman and launched the now-defunct DC Extended Universe, and then 2025's Superman, which is directed by James Gunn, as the first film in the DC Universe. Routh later reprised his role as Superman in the 2019 Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths".

  1. ^ a b c d e "Superman Returns (2006) - Filmaffinity". Filmaffinity. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  2. ^ "AFI|Catalog - Superman Returns". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  3. ^ "Superman Returns (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Chattaway, Peter (June 28, 2006). "Superman Returns". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  5. ^ Dargis, Manohla (June 27, 2006). "'Superman Returns' to Save Mankind From Its Sins". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  6. ^ "Superman Returns – Side Effects Software Inc". Archived from the original on June 16, 2013.

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