Superman Sequel in Doubt

[Cannikin]

If the Man of Steel can't manage to bring in enough money, Warner Bros. may scale back or pull the plug on any further films.

Unless Superman Returns can gross more than $200 million domestically, Warner Bros. is said to be unsure it wants to back any sequels.

With Pirates of the Caribbean 2 earning a $258 million booty in just two weeks, moviegoers have stayed away from Superman Returns which has grossed $163 million in three weeks of release. The Bryan Singer film, hit by critics as being too glum and unimaginative, cost $260 million to make.

Fan site TMZ quotes talent agency insiders with ties to the film as saying Warner Bros. chief Alan Horn will decide the fate of a sequel on whether Superman Returns can make $200 million. Also, the studio wants to "shave millions -- many millions" off any Superman sequel's budget, the site says.

The most Horn is said to be willing to spend is $150 million, the agency sources told TMZ since he feels burned by Singer's high-flying FX budget. Whether Singer would agree to work on a lower budget film is unknown.

Bob Gough
7/17/2006
Source: TMZ

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/news/articles/2838.asp

[Broken_Hero]

1. yeah, i saw that also

give superman returns a few more weeks, and it will pass 200 domestic...right now, i think its around 170 million...in just what, three weeks, or so? It will reach 200 million domestic, POTC2, just did phenomenal...world wide, i think superman returns is right at 245 million...

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

2. Ouch. I'm not surprised, though.

I enjoyed Dead Man's Chest a lot more than Superman Returns, I must admit.
I did enjoy both, but if I was going to go to a movie a second time, it would be Pirates over Superman, or even X-Men 3.

[Duncan Grant]

3. I like the movie but I think the casting was bad.

Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey should never have been cast in those roles, especially Bosworth. x(

[Beaverhausen]

5. Really! I thought Spacey was great

and I think Bosworth will grow in the sequels, which I have faith will be made.

I really enjoyed the film although I agree it was a tad too long.

[Duncan Grant]

8. I usually enjoy his work.

Don't you love a villain who is compelling? Either he/she is very sexy or sympathetic or complex, etc.? I didn't get any of that from Spacey this time, but who knows -- I could have got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. :D

Hopefully, there will be a sequel. I'd like to find out what happens to one particular character (avoiding a spoiler for those who haven't seen it).

[YellowRubberDuckie]

4. I heard it was slow...

We might watch it when it comes on starz...but probably not before.
Duckie

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. Good. They should pull the plug until they find writers and a director

and a cast that don't suck donkey balls.

[BigMcLargehuge]

7. my sentiments exactly

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. When I left the theater, I was only disappointed. But the longer I've had

to think about, the more shitty I realize the movie is.

Now that the spectacle and emotional manipulation and gee-whiz-bang special effects have worn off, I realize, every day, that this movie isn't just bad, it's a piece of shit.

A useless, awful, goddamned ignorant piece of shit.

And the more I think about it, the more I am offended that the people involved (except Kevin Spacey) actually felt that they could accept money for this fucking abomination.

If they had any integrity, they would have burned this piece of shit and taken the $200 million hit just out of a sense of shame and a sense that any artist should have that their audience shouldn't be exposed to shit.

[Cannikin]

14. So...what are you saying? Thumbs up or down?

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. A big double thumbs up!

:silly:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

16. I applaud your restraint.

That's much kinder than I've come to expect from you. I might actually go see the movie now. :D

[Locut0s]

9. This was a strange movie for me, I loved it but many of the reviewers I...

usually agree with hated it :(

[AmyDeLune]

11. To be fair, the budget includes the 8 years of developement costs

--scripts bought & discarded, actors optioned & paid & released, directors brought aboard and tossed off. $150 million will probably be an adequate budget for any sequels. Hopefully, they'll be good.

[DanCa]

12. No Metallo Kills Superboy?

In all honesty I want to see a Superman picture with Tom Welling in it. I wasn't that impressed with Routh's Portrayal. I'd give Superman returns about a seven and a half. The action was okay but it lacked the heart of the character.

[judaspriestess]

13. I liked the movie.

Kate Bosworth was a hell no for me. I would have preferred Natalie Portman. Kevin Spacey I thought did well. I mean its hard to follow in the footsteps of Gene Hackman.

[Cannikin]

15. I wanted Lois to be Margot Kidder 20 years ago.

[genie_weenie]

18. Good because Superman Returns was putrid!

It was sophomoric, clumsy the allusions to Christ were over-the-top. It suffered from the classic problem of any movie which has a character too powerful and at the same time too weak. And Kumar didn't have a speaking part.

1/2 star out of 5.

[Broken_Hero]

19. I'm pretty sure, it will get a sequel, but

here are some thoughts for a sequel, with tie ins, with Superman Return clues, or thoughts...







Spoilers...





New Krypton is floating in space, and when superman tossed it into space, the kryptonite was still growing through the base, and I swear, I saw a circular shape, aka brainiac's skull...I think, Singer is making New Krypton, into Brainiac, and his skull ship....

Another food for thought. We Lex stabbed superman with the kryptonite shank, and he snapped it off, the camera, made it clear, that Lex looked down at the busted shard, with "superman's blood" still on it, and Lex pocketed the shard....so, Lex has superman's dna, can anyone say Bizzaro?

I obviously, enjoyed Superman Returns, and I expect Superman Returns II, to be a knock down drag out fight. Remember, Xmen folks, how much action was in that movie, compared to Xmen II...I think Singer, and co set up the plate, to bring in some different superman villians, in SR II...

I don't understand the harsh reviews, here...1/2 a star? Seems like people are comparing this to Batman and Robin, or Catwoman, I didn't think SR was that bad at all...but its all preference. On a whole, I give SR an 8.5

[Blue_Tires]

20. kind of a shame

but not unexpected....sadly, with a few plot tweaks in the right direction, Superman could have been MUCH better than what it was

[NewJeffCT]

21. I went in expecting it to suck...

And, I thought it was decent. I think most of the characters were under-written, but did okay with their roles. Routh was credible as Superman, but we didn't see enough of him as Clark Kent for me to judge him as "franchise worthy"

I should say that
1) I grew up as a HUGE comic book fan
2) I hated the first Christopher Reeve "Superman" movie, but liked the 2nd one. Heck, I liked the 3rd one with Richard Pryor better than the first one!

[mac56]

22. Superman 2 was vastly superior to the first one.

Superman 3 was fairly reminiscent of Silver Age Supes comics.
And oddly enough, Superman 4 seemed most loyal to the Supes canon, IMHO.