For some reason, everyone has the perception that Superman is the most popular and profitable of all the superheroes. That perception flies in the face of all the available evidence. Superman's record at the box office is patchy at best; 'Superman Returns' failed to excite the public when it was released in 2006 as a comeback attempt, but it was 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace' that had buried the franchise in the first place years earlier.
By 1987, Christopher Reeve's incarnation of Superman was beginning to look and feel a little dated after three previous films. Despite a budget of $36m, it somehow managed to look cheap, with the special effects coming in for particular criticism. Movie-goers had come to expect a higher standard of presentation, and largely ducked out on coming to see it. It made almost exactly half of its budget back, and The Cannon Group had fired out a film for the last time.