Superman’s Box Office

Posted on June 30, 2006 by Brad Guigar

I always wondered who would win in a fight between Superman and Spider-Man…

[YAHOO:] Compared to Spider-Man, Superman looks like an 89-pound weakling–at least when it comes to their respective box-office prowess.

Superman Returns, the long-awaited revival of the Man of Steel franchise, took in an estimated $21 million in its debut Wednesday, an opening that was termed “solid” by one analyst, but an opening that fell short–very short–of standards set by Marvel Comics’ webslinger.

Overall, Superman Returns now ranks eighth on the list of all-time Wednesday debuts, just behind War of the Worlds’ ($21.3 million) and just ahead of Jurassic Park III’s ($19 million).

The all-time Wednesday king? Spider-Man 2, which snared $40.4 million in 2004.

In the annals of all-time biggest openings, regardless of when the opening occurred on the calendar, Superman Returns checks in at 29th place, according to the stats at BoxOfficeMojo.com. Spider-Man 2 checks in at third place; the original Spider-Man, released in 2002, checks in at fifth place ($39.4 million). Read more.