Synopsis
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
Scores
Overall Score
84.8
Popularity Percentile (Year)
85.0%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
85.0%
Review Aggregate
83.8
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 88% of 109 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, romantic, character-driven. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
funnyromanticcharacter-drivengrittyemotionalfamily-friendlyhistoricalsatiricalvisually strikingstylized
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlon Brando | 1978 | $3,700,000 source | $17,801,994 | reported |
| Gene Hackman | 1978 | $2,000,000 source | $9,622,699 | reported |
| Christopher Reeve | 1978 | $250,000 source | $1,202,837 | reported |
| Ned Beatty | 1978 | $1,112,000 | $5,349,000 | (est) |
| Jackie Cooper | 1978 | $951,000 | $4,575,000 | (est) |
| Glenn Ford | 1978 | $837,000 | $4,027,000 | (est) |
| Trevor Howard | 1978 | $751,000 | $3,615,000 | (est) |
| Margot Kidder | 1978 | $110,000 source | $529,248 | reported |
| Valerie Perrine | 1978 | $630,000 | $3,032,000 | (est) |
| Maria Schell | 1978 | $585,000 | $2,816,000 | (est) |
| Terence Stamp | 1978 | $548,000 | $2,635,000 | (est) |
| Phyllis Thaxter | 1978 | $515,000 | $2,479,000 | (est) |
| Susannah York | 1978 | $487,000 | $2,344,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score88.0
RT critic review count121
Rotten Tomatoes audience score86.0
RT audience rating count250,000
IMDb rating7.4
IMDb votes203,475
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1978 | $134,218,018 | $645,769,820 |
| International | 1978 | $2,461 | $11,841 |
| Worldwide | 1978 | $134,220,479 | $645,781,660 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1978 | $67,109,993 | $322,889,646 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1978 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1978 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1978 | $4,151,000 | $19,971,913 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1978 | $5,397,000 | $25,966,854 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1978 | $46,976,306 | $226,019,437 |
| Total Revenues | 1978 | $123,634,300 | $594,847,850 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1978 | $55,000,000 | $264,624,233 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? source | 1978 | $6,500,000 | $31,273,773 |
| Participations | 1978 | $9,891,000 | $47,589,060 |
| Residuals ? | 1978 | $2,952,000 | $14,203,104 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1978 | $8,250,000 | $39,693,635 |
| Total Expenses | 1978 | $82,593,000 | $397,383,805 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1978 | $41,041,300 | $197,464,045 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Man of Steel | 2013 | Shared franchise (1) | 92.7 | $-10,807,496 |
 | Superman II | 1981 | Shared franchise (1) | 92.8 | $46,460,851 |
 | Superman Returns | 2006 | Shared franchise (1) | 90.5 | $-83,176,670 |
 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | 2016 | Shared franchise (1) | 89.2 | $36,259,165 |
 | Superman III | 1983 | Shared franchise (1) | 82.4 | $9,130,486 |