Synopsis
Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.
Scores
Overall Score
92.8
Popularity Percentile (Year)
94.2%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
99.2%
Review Aggregate
78.8
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 91% of 107 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, romantic, visually striking. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
funnyromanticvisually strikingfamily-friendlystylizedlightheartedaction-packed
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Hackman | 1981 | $2,880,000 | $9,940,000 | (est) |
| Christopher Reeve | 1981 | $250,000 source | $862,761 | reported |
| Ned Beatty | 1981 | $1,335,000 | $4,607,000 | (est) |
| Jackie Cooper | 1981 | $1,091,000 | $3,767,000 | (est) |
| Sarah Douglas | 1981 | $934,000 | $3,222,000 | (est) |
| Margot Kidder | 1981 | $822,000 | $2,836,000 | (est) |
| Jack O'Halloran | 1981 | $738,000 | $2,546,000 | (est) |
| Valerie Perrine | 1981 | $672,000 | $2,319,000 | (est) |
| Susannah York | 1981 | $619,000 | $2,135,000 | (est) |
| Clifton James | 1981 | $575,000 | $1,983,000 | (est) |
| E. G. Marshall | 1981 | $538,000 | $1,855,000 | (est) |
| Marc McClure | 1981 | $506,000 | $1,746,000 | (est) |
| Terence Stamp | 1981 | $478,000 | $1,651,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score88.0
RT critic review count112
Rotten Tomatoes audience score76.0
RT audience rating count100,000
IMDb rating6.8
IMDb votes122,353
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1981 | $108,185,704 | $373,353,722 |
| International | 1981 | $108,200,000 | $373,403,058 |
| Worldwide | 1981 | $216,385,710 | $746,756,800 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1981 | $97,372,852 | $336,038,084 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1981 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1981 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1981 | $10,335,000 | $35,666,549 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1981 | $8,785,000 | $30,317,429 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1981 | $30,291,997 | $104,539,042 |
| Total Revenues | 1981 | $146,784,849 | $506,561,104 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1981 | $54,000,000 | $186,356,424 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1981 | $23,621,000 (est) | $81,517,131 (est) |
| Participations | 1981 | $11,743,000 | $40,525,620 |
| Residuals ? | 1981 | $2,860,000 | $9,869,988 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1981 | $8,100,000 | $27,953,464 |
| Total Expenses | 1981 | $100,324,000 | $346,222,628 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1981 | $46,460,849 | $160,338,476 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Man of Steel | 2013 | Shared franchise (1) | 92.7 | $-10,807,510 |
 | Superman Returns | 2006 | Shared franchise (1) | 90.5 | $-83,176,680 |
 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | 2016 | Shared franchise (1) | 89.2 | $36,259,170 |
 | Superman | 1978 | Shared franchise (1) | 84.8 | $41,041,301 |
 | Superman III | 1983 | Shared franchise (1) | 82.4 | $9,130,487 |