Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Superman

  • 19781978
  • PGPG
  • 2h 23m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
174K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,092
27
Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Jack O'Halloran, Valerie Perrine, and Susannah York in Superman (1978)
Trailer for Superman: The Movie
Play trailer2:39
2 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
174K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,092
27
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Richard Donner
    • Writers
      • Jerry Siegel(character created by: Superman)
      • Joe Shuster(character created by: Superman)
      • Mario Puzo(story)
    • Stars
      • Christopher Reeve
      • Margot Kidder
      • Gene Hackman
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Richard Donner
    • Writers
      • Jerry Siegel(character created by: Superman)
      • Joe Shuster(character created by: Superman)
      • Mario Puzo(story)
    • Stars
      • Christopher Reeve
      • Margot Kidder
      • Gene Hackman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 634User reviews
    • 207Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 17 wins & 23 nominations total

    Videos2

    Superman: The Movie
    Trailer 2:39
    Superman: The Movie
    We Are Superman
    Clip 0:59
    We Are Superman

    Photos420

    Gene Hackman in Superman (1978)
    Marlon Brando and Maria Schell in Superman (1978)
    Marlon Brando, Lee Quigley, and Susannah York in Superman (1978)
    Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978)
    Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas, and Jack O'Halloran in Superman (1978)
    Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978)
    Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, and Margot Kidder in Superman (1978)
    Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978)
    Marlon Brando, Lee Quigley, and Susannah York in Superman (1978)
    Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter in Superman (1978)
    Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978)
    Marlon Brando and Lee Quigley in Superman (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Christopher Reeve
    Christopher Reeve
    • Superman…
    Margot Kidder
    Margot Kidder
    • Lois Lane
    Gene Hackman
    Gene Hackman
    • Lex Luthor
    Marlon Brando
    Marlon Brando
    • Jor-El
    Ned Beatty
    Ned Beatty
    • Otis
    Jackie Cooper
    Jackie Cooper
    • Perry White
    Glenn Ford
    Glenn Ford
    • Pa Kent
    Trevor Howard
    Trevor Howard
    • 1st Elder
    Jack O'Halloran
    Jack O'Halloran
    • Non
    Valerie Perrine
    Valerie Perrine
    • Eve Teschmacher
    Maria Schell
    Maria Schell
    • Vond-Ah
    Terence Stamp
    Terence Stamp
    • General Zod
    Phyllis Thaxter
    Phyllis Thaxter
    • Ma Kent
    Susannah York
    Susannah York
    • Lara
    Jeff East
    Jeff East
    • Young Clark Kent
    Marc McClure
    Marc McClure
    • Jimmy Olsen
    Sarah Douglas
    Sarah Douglas
    • Ursa
    Harry Andrews
    Harry Andrews
    • 2nd Elder
    • Director
      • Richard Donner
    • Writers
      • Jerry Siegel(character created by: Superman)
      • Joe Shuster(character created by: Superman)
      • Mario Puzo(story) (screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Superman II
    6.8
    Superman II
    Superman III
    5.0
    Superman III
    Superman Returns
    6.1
    Superman Returns
    Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
    3.7
    Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
    Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
    7.6
    Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
    Batman
    7.5
    Batman
    Batman Returns
    7.1
    Batman Returns
    Batman Forever
    5.4
    Batman Forever
    Man of Steel
    7.1
    Man of Steel
    Gremlins
    7.3
    Gremlins
    Batman
    7.5
    Batman
    The Longest Yard
    7.1
    The Longest Yard

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to Roger Moore's autobiography, he witnessed Christopher Reeve walking through the canteen at Pinewood Studios in full Superman costume, oblivious to the swooning female admirers he left in his wake. When he did the same thing dressed as Clark Kent, no one paid any attention.
    • Goofs
      (at around 44 mins) When Jor-El introduces himself in the Fortress of Solitude, he explains that by this time, he will have been dead for thousands of Earth years. Yet during his teaching during Kal's journey to Earth from Krypton (at around 21 mins), Jor-El refers to Einstein's theory of relativity, which wasn't formulated until long after the destruction of Krypton.
    • Quotes

      Lex Luthor: Some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story. Others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe.

    • Crazy credits
      Next Year: "Superman II"
    • Alternate versions
      The current DVD, in addition to containing the 2000 restored director's cut, has 2 deleted scenes (both of Lex' babies, and seen in the TV edits in their original context), and alternate audio scoring for 8 sequences (including an unreleased alternate pop version of Margot Kidder's "Can You Read My Mind"). The DVD has the 2000 restoration with the following additions / expansions (all of which were seen in previous expanded television versions):
      • Some added dialogue when Jor-El is talking with the council.
      • The council calls an "Executioner" to hunt and kill Jor-El to keep the rocket from launching.
      • Noel Neill and Kirk Alyn's speaking cameos on the train.
      • Little girl sees Clark running faster than train, parents call her Lois Lane.
      • In the kitchen Martha Kent takes out a box of Cheerios.
      • After rescuing Air Force One Superman returns to Fortress of Solitude and has a conversation with his father.
      • In Metropolis when the news of Superman comes out, Clark is a spectator. A stranger (played by an uncredited Richard Donner) comments "that'll be the day when a man can fly"; Clark grins.
      • While trying to get Luthor's lair Superman goes through machine guns, flame throwers, ice machines with Luthor taunting on loudspeaker.
      • The sequence with the Girl Scouts.
    • Connections
      Edited into Superman II (1980)
    • Soundtracks
      Can You Read My Mind
      Music by John Williams

      Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse

      Performed by Margot Kidder

    User reviews634

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Miles better than the 2006 disaster!
    I had only ever seen the TV version of the original Superman movie until I bought the HD-DVD. So, as you can imagine, on TV it was in hideous pan and scan and with several scenes missing. In reality, I have never seen the 'full' movie until now. And I have to admit, it's far, far superior to Bryan Singer's self-indulgent mess of Superman Returns.

    It actually takes quite a while to get going, but there's so much going on that the running time certainly doesn't seem two and a half hours. Richard Donner shot it back to back with Superman II, so there's an extended opening act that establishes the plot of the sequel at the same time.

    Anyone who doesn't know the story of Superman must be from another galaxy, but for those people I will give you a quick soundbite. Kal El is the orphan of the planet Krypton, which has recently blown up. He comes to Earth as a baby and lands in Smallville where he is quickly adopted by a farmer and his wife and renamed Clark Kent. His dense molecular structure and his ability to defy Earth's gravity give him advantages over humans and ultimately he becomes...SUPERMAN! But who doesn't already know that?

    Clark Kent assumes an exaggerated, clumsy, meek newspaper reporter persona to distance himself from the Superman guise. Somehow everybody, including secret love Lois Lane, falls for it even though the glasses and the hair are all that is different. Hypervillain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) doesn't take well to the man of steel as he might interfere with his plans for Real Estate Domination (the modern term for World Domination). But does he really think he can win? Hypervillains never know when to be humble.

    Just about everything that was terrible about Superman Returns is completely right about this one. The cinematography, the music, the editing, the pacing. I won't call the SFX fake, since it doesn't ever take you out of the film, so I'll just call them 'quaint'. For 1978 they're good and even though they are all done optically it's still better than the CGI crapfest of Singer's interpretation.

    Christopher Reeve's ultimate fate does kind of upset me, so it's good to see him in his prime and being made immortal in a way. The cast of this film does have a lot of big names. Along with the huge scope and spectacle, such a large cast adds to the epic feel of it. Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp and Glenn Ford just seem like a far more dynamic bunch of actors than Kate Bosworth and Kal Penn. Don't you think?

    It's been 29 years since this film was released and people still make a big fuss over it today. In 29 years, will be still be talking about Superman Returns? Outside of ridicule, I think not.
    helpful•26
    10
    • CuriosityKilledShawn
    • Mar 15, 2007

    FAQ11

    • Which characters were adapted from the Superman comic books?
    • What is Miss Teschmacher's relationship to Lex Luthor? Is she his girlfriend? If so, why does he not call her by her first name? Does she work for him?
    • Where is Smallville located?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 15, 1978 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Superman: The Movie
    • Filming locations
      • Range Road 264, Blackie, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Dovemead Films
      • Film Export A.G.
      • International Film Production
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $55,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $134,478,449
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,465,343
      • Dec 17, 1978
    • Gross worldwide
      • $300,478,449
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Jack O'Halloran, Valerie Perrine, and Susannah York in Superman (1978)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of Superman (1978) in Brazil?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    New & Upcoming Superhero Movies and Series
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    These Stars Are on the Rise
    See the gallery

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Back to top
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.