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77-509: It is the fifth film (including Supergirl ) in the Superman film series and a sequel to Superman III (1983). It is the first film in the series not to have the involvement of producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind . The film also marks the final appearance of Reeve as Superman, who agreed to return in exchange for a large salary and some creative control, where he contributed to a script dealing with nuclear disarmament . Shortly before

154-544: A lead box, demonstrating that Supergirl's limitations are similar to those of her cousin. The Phantom Zone scenes are also longer. The 2006 DVD release and current Blu-Ray reissue by Warner Home Video , whose parent company, Warner Bros., is the current rights holder to the Superman movies, contains the International Edition, also called the "European Theatrical Edition". The latter release also features

231-627: A solar eclipse . Superman returns Lacy to Earth and destroys Nuclear Man in the core of a nuclear power plant resulting in Nuclear Man becoming electrical power for the electrical grid . Perry White secures a loan to buy a controlling interest in the newspaper and makes Warfield a minority shareholder and protects the paper from any takeovers. Superman recaptures the Luthors. He places Lenny in Boys Town and returns Lex to prison. Superman makes

308-598: A 138-minute "director's cut", which had been discovered in StudioCanal's archives. The second version was a single-disc version featuring the 124-minute "International Version", with many bonus features: a 16-page full color booklet; Audio Commentary with Director Jeannot Szwarc and Special Project Consultant Scott Michael Bosco; "The Making of Supergirl" Featurette; U.S. & Foreign Theatrical Trailers; U.S. TV Spots; Original Storyboards; Still & Poster Galleries; and Talent Bios (these extra features were also available on

385-782: A Royal premiere at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on July 23, 1987, attended by Prince Charles and Princess Diana . It was released on July 24, 1987, in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. In the US and Canada it opened in 1,511 theatres and grossed $ 5.6 million during its opening weekend, ranking fourth at the box office. In the UK, it opened on 234 screens and grossed £508,468 ($ 0.8 million) for

462-418: A battle with the failed prototype of Nuclear Man resembling Bizarro and an around-the-world fight with the second Nuclear Man. The adaptation has an alternate ending with Superman and Jeremy flying above Earth, observing that the planet is, in reality, just one world, rather than the divided world one sees on a man-made map. In the adaptation, Jeremy is seen in orbit with a space suit but in the deleted footage he

539-447: A cameo in the 2023 DC Studios film The Flash , alongside a CGI version of Christopher Reeve's Superman. A novelization was written by Norma Fox Mazer and released in paperback form in 1984. 1985 Cannes Film Festival The 38th Cannes Film Festival took place from 8 to 20 May 1985. Czechoslovakian filmmaker Miloš Forman served as jury president for the main competition. Yugoslavian filmmaker Emir Kusturica won

616-418: A comic book adaptation of Superman IV , scripted by Bob Rozakis and pencilled by Curt Swan and Don Heck . This edition included different dialogue from the film and incidents from the deleted scenes of the movie. In place of a voice-over from Lara in the early scene involving Superman finding the mysterious crystal, there is a projection of Jor-El himself, much like in the first film. The comic book features

693-509: A construction vehicle to retrieve Ethan, causing chaos as it does so. Supergirl, in the guise of Linda, rescues Ethan, and he falls in love with her instead. Supergirl and Selena proceed to battle. Selena captures Ethan, then traps Supergirl and sends her to the Phantom Zone , a prison dimension. Now powerless, Supergirl wanders the bleak landscape and nearly drowns in an oily bog. Eventually, she encounters Zaltar, who has exiled himself to

770-465: A distant galaxy. In the Superman documentary You Will Believe..., Director Jeannot Szwarc said Reeve's involvement in this film would have given the feature higher credibility, and admitted he wished Reeve had made a contribution to the film's production. A publicity photo of him as Superman does appear as a poster in Lucy and Linda's shared dorm room. Marc McClure makes his fourth of five appearances in

847-654: A fourth film regardless, but after the commercial failures of Supergirl and their next film Santa Claus: The Movie caused them financial strain they began to consider if the franchise had run its course. After negotiations during the 38th Cannes Film Festival , Ilya Salkind agreed to sell the Superman franchise to Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus of The Cannon Group, Inc. for $ 5 million in June 1985. The studio enticed Reeve to return by offering him $ 6 million, financing for his pet project Street Smart , and approval over

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924-472: A genetic matrix. Lex makes a deal with black market arms dealers to attach the hair to a nuclear missile . Superman intercepts the missile and throws it into the Sun . A superhuman called Nuclear Man is created from discharged energy and makes his way back to Earth to find Lex. Lex reveals that Nuclear Man will deactivate without exposure to sunlight. Superman is infected with radiation sickness while stopping

1001-626: A half." On Metacritic the film has a rating of 41 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews" from 13 professional reviewers. Variety referred to the film as "intermittently enjoyable spectacle" and described "some well-staged effects highlights, notably a violent storm that threatens the school and the climax which Supergirl and Selena confront each other in the latter's mountain-top castle." Both Rita Kempley and Paul Attanasio of The Washington Post gave it positive marks. John Grant , writing in The Encyclopedia of Fantasy ,

1078-519: A little logic In their fantasies, instead of having characters whose motivations, abilities and weaknesses change all the time, with no explanation whatever. A fun film, in a vacuous sort of way." Janet Maslin of The New York Times expressed "some initial curiosity" about the differences between Superman and Supergirl, but that the film "quickly loses its novelty." The film was nominated for two Razzie Awards , including Worst Actor for Peter O'Toole and Worst Actress for Faye Dunaway. Helen Slater

1155-624: A number of techniques to identify the music to the film, such as synthesizers simulating the sounds of take-off during the main theme. The soundtrack has been released twice, through Varèse Sarabande in 1985 and an extended version through Silva Screen in 1993. It has also been referred by critics as one of the only redeeming qualities of the movie. "The Superman Poster", included on the 1993 release, incorporates John Williams 's Superman theme. 1985 Varèse Sarabande Album 1993 Silva Screen Album International Video Entertainment paid $ 3.2 million for North American home video rights, one of

1232-627: A scene depicting Clark Kent visiting the graves of his foster parents. This scene was to have preceded the film's theatrical scene where Clark returns to Smallville to meet the contractor in hopes of selling or leasing the Kent farm. A deleted scene about Lacy Warfield and Clark Kent's romance, showing them dancing in the Metro Club, was also not released on disc. The music for the film was adapted and conducted by Alexander Courage based on existing and new music composed by John Williams . The film had

1309-474: A scene not seen in either laserdisc edition: After Selena's defeat, Nigel is standing on the street. He bends over to pick up the Coffer of Shadows, now restored to its original, small size and decides to keep it as a memento. In another broadcast-only scene, after Supergirl flies off to return to Argo City , Ethan gets into his truck. He then stops to say goodbye to Lucy and Jimmy . Both scenes can be found in

1386-426: A speech that world peace cannot be achieved instantly and flies away. Alexander Salkind and his son Ilya , the producers of the Superman series, planned to produce a fourth Superman film if Superman III grossed at least $ 40 million. The film received an unexpectedly negative reaction but still grossed $ 80.2 million. Reeve was also hesitant to return to the series as Superman. The Salkinds announced plans for

1463-454: A three-picture deal. Slater had four months of physical training to prepare for the role. Additionally, Dolly Parton reportedly turned down the role of Selena before it was offered to Dunaway. Principal photography began at Pinewood Studios near London on April 18, 1983, and wrapped on August 11, 1983. Although the Salkinds financed the film completely on their own budget, Warner Bros.

1540-616: A vicious magical prank. Other scenes involve Linda Lee making a temporary home in the city of Midvale, Illinois, and an extended version of the tractor sequence in which the possessed machine runs amok on the Midvale streets and kills a civilian. This alleged death scene does not appear in either the International or the 2000 Director's Cut. Another cut scene shows Supergirl unable to find the Omegahedron because Selena keeps it in

1617-523: A worldwide box office gross of $ 30.2 million. Of the four Superman films starring Reeve, The Quest for Peace fared the worst at the box office, and the series went dormant for the following 19 years. Reeve regretted his decision to be involved in the film, saying, " Superman IV was a catastrophe from start to finish. That failure was a huge blow to my career." Plans were made to make a Superman V , but they never came to fruition. Reeve's 1995 paralysis made any further development of sequels involving him in

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1694-530: Is not included in any of the Superman DVD or Blu-ray box sets by Warner Bros. Kara Zor-El , cousin of Kal-El , and Jor-El 's niece, lives in Argo City , an isolated community that survived the planet Krypton 's destruction by being transported into a pocket of trans-dimensional space, called the "Innerspace." Zaltar, a wizard, has allowed Kara to observe a unique and immensely powerful item known as

1771-475: Is not wearing any vacuum protection of any kind, as was Lacy Warfield when she was rescued from the second Nuclear Man by Superman. The alternate ending appears in the Deluxe Edition DVD, incorporated in the deleted footage section. There was also a book novelization written by Bonnie Bryant , in which scenes based on deleted footage are included. The novelization was released in 1987, along with

1848-611: Is on the verge of defeating Supergirl when she hears Zaltar's voice urging her to fight on. Supergirl breaks free and Nigel tells her the only way to defeat Selena is to turn the demon against her. Supergirl complies and creates a focused whirlwind that traps Selena, who is then attacked and incapacitated by the demon as the whirlwind pulls in Bianca as well. The three are sucked through the mirror portal, which promptly reforms, trapping them all forever. Free from Selena's spell, Ethan admits his love for Linda, knowing she and Supergirl are one and

1925-515: Is sick of her mentor and lover, Nigel, who is himself, a warlock . Later scenes not seen before the 2000 DVD release from Anchor Bay Entertainment, include Selena using the Omegahedron for the first time, and realizing that she has no control of herself when under its influence, namely the "Roast Chicken" sequence. Selena later throws a party for all her followers, and deleted material shows Nigel insulting Selena after being dismissed. Nigel then gets friendly with another party member, on whom Selena pulls

2002-467: Is surprised to find herself capable of almost anything, especially flying. She can use her super-strength to crack rocks into dust, and use her heat-ray vision to help flowers grow. Scenes concerning Selena, Bianca, and Nigel were also trimmed. In the U.S. version, Selena's introduction was merely a few lines long when the Omegahedron lands on Earth, and Selena takes it for use of its magic. The full introduction establishes Selena as an impatient witch , who

2079-485: The Palme d'Or , the festival's top prize, for the drama film When Father Was Away on Business . The festival paid a tribute to American actor James Stewart and screened a restored version of his 1954 film The Glenn Miller Story , directed by Anthony Mann . The festival opened with Witness by Peter Weir , and closed with The Emerald Forest by John Boorman . The following feature films competed for

2156-509: The Somewhere in Time director. Szwarc sought advice from Donner over some technical aspects of the production. Hundreds of actresses tested for the role of Supergirl/Linda, among them Demi Moore and Brooke Shields . Shields and Moore were both ultimately rejected by both Ilya and Szwarc, who had both wanted an unknown actress, and they instead signed Helen Slater, who was paid $ 75,000 in

2233-404: The Superman -related films; he is the only actor to appear in all four films featuring Superman and this spin-off film. Demi Moore auditioned for and was cast as character Lucy Lane but bowed out to make the film Blame It on Rio . Maureen Teefy was signed instead. Upon gaining the film rights for Superman: The Movie in the 1970s, Alexander Salkind and his son, Ilya , also purchased

2310-485: The Arrowverse crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths seemed to indicate that both Superman III and Returns were in the same canon . On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds a 10% "Rotten" score based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Superman series bottoms out here: the action is boring, the special effects look cheaper, and none of

2387-624: The Statue of Liberty from falling onto Metropolis. Clark retrieves the Kryptonian energy module and heals himself from the radiation sickness. A fight between Superman and Nuclear Man takes place on the Moon which ends with Superman being driven into the surface of the Moon by Nuclear Man. Nuclear Man takes Lacy into outer space. Superman frees himself from the Moon and pushes it out of orbit causing

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace - Misplaced Pages Continue

2464-487: The Superman films. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1984 and in the United States on 21 November 1984, but failed to impress either critics or audiences, while also underperforming at the box-office. Dunaway and O'Toole earned Golden Raspberry Award nominations for Worst Actress and Worst Actor , respectively. Slater was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress . The film's failure ultimately led producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind to sell

2541-435: The "Omegahedron," which he has borrowed without the knowledge of the city's government, and of which powers Argo. However, a mishap leads to the Omegahedron being rocketed into space. Taking a ship, Kara follows the Omegahedron to Earth, while undergoing a transformation into "Supergirl" in the process, to recover it and save Argo City. On Earth, the Omegahedron is recovered by Selena, a power-hungry would-be witch assisted by

2618-466: The 2-disc "Limited Edition" set). Anchor Bay re-issued a new VHS release once again, this time the 124-minute "International Version" coinciding with the DVD release, both a separate fullscreen and widescreen editions (widescreen version labeled as the "Collector's Edition") under different packaging artwork and digitally mastered by THX . The "Director's Cut" DVD was made from the last print known to exist of

2695-466: The International theatrical version as well as sequences not contained in any other edit. Shown in a two-hour slot, this 92-minute version was essentially a cut-down version of the "Director's Cut", otherwise resembling the U.S. edit, with "offensive" dialogue dubbed over for TV. This same 92-minute version was also seen in syndication on most stations (as well as superstations such as TBS and WGN ) by Viacom . Some broadcast television versions have

2772-501: The Man of Steel. The first Nuclear Man was somewhat more inhuman-looking than his successor, and resembled, in both looks and personality, the comic book character Bizarro . Luthor postulates that this Nuclear Man wasn't strong enough, and hatches the plan to create the second Nuclear Man within the Sun as a result. Not all of the deleted scenes made it to the deluxe edition of the DVD, including

2849-473: The Phantom Zone as a punishment for losing the Omegahedron. Zaltar helps Kara to escape, sacrificing his life to do so. Back on Earth, Selena uses the Omegahedron to make herself a "princess of Earth" with Ethan as her lover and consort . Emerging from the Phantom Zone through a mirror, Supergirl regains her powers and confronts Selena, who uses the Omegahedron to summon a gigantic shadow demon. The demon

2926-533: The Salkinds, who gave the distribution rights to Tri-Star Pictures . The film proceeded to be released overseas, however, and received a Royal Film Premiere in the United Kingdom in July 1. The film score for Supergirl was composed and conducted by veteran composer Jerry Goldsmith , who had been the initial interest of director Richard Donner to compose for the first Superman film. Goldsmith used

3003-463: The Supergirl movie to freshen the franchise. Ilya later recounted, "[It was] something different, to an extent. I thought it was a very different area to explore." Originally the plot was to center around Supergirl rescuing Superman , who would be portrayed as her cousin and mentor, but the film was heavily rewritten after Reeve chose not to be involved. The producers attempted, and failed, to get

3080-516: The Superman film rights to The Cannon Group, Inc. in 1986. Its first DVD release was by the independent home video company Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2000, under license from then-rights holder StudioCanal . Warner Bros. Pictures acquired the rights to the film and reissued it on DVD late in 2006 to coincide with the release of Superman Returns . Although it is canon with the Christopher Reeve Superman films, it

3157-421: The actors appear interested in where the plot's going." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 24 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale. The film received a poor review by Janet Maslin of The New York Times , although she wrote that Kidder's portrayal of Lois Lane

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace - Misplaced Pages Continue

3234-463: The aforementioned "director's cut". Much of the deleted material appeared in DC Comics's one-shot comic book adaptation of the film, primarily the scenes that fleshed out Selena's character. The American theatrical cut for Supergirl ran at 105 minutes. Supergirl originally ran at 124 minutes in its European version. When it aired on network television in 1987, ABC added numerous scenes from

3311-657: The audio commentary from the Anchor Bay release. All comments about Anchor Bay are edited out. It was reissued on 17 July 2018, under the Warner Archive Collection label as a two–disc set, with the International Cut on Blu-ray (in a new 1080p HD remaster), and the "Director's Cut" on DVD, mastered in SD as the only surviving element of the longer version is from the same StudioCanal print used for

3388-458: The crew of a Russian space station. Clark uncovers the capsule that brought him to Earth and removes a green Kryptonian energy module. A recording left by his mother Lara states that the power can only be used once. He returns to Metropolis and finds that the Daily Planet has been taken over by tabloid tycoon David Warfield who fires Perry White and hires his own daughter Lacy as

3465-476: The cut, which was apparently prepared for possible television broadcast before the film was edited into its various versions. This longer version was never broadcast on network television in the United States, though it is believed to have been distributed in syndication worldwide. In 2002, Anchor Bay re-issued the 138 minute "Director's Cut" separately. In November 2006, coinciding with the home video release of Superman Returns , Warner Home Video , now owning

3542-414: The director's cut. As aforementioned, the full longer version has never been broadcast on U.S. network television. In the United States, Supergirl was picked up by Tri-Star Pictures for release on 21 November 1984. Test audiences found the film overlong and the film was edited from 135 minutes to 105 minutes for its North American release. Critical reviews in the United States were poor, and although

3619-430: The disc, there are approximately 45 minutes of the film that haven't been seen by the general public. They were deleted following a failed Southern California test screening. In fact, the Nuclear Man that appears in the film is actually the second Nuclear Man that Luthor created. Cut scenes featured the original Nuclear Man (portrayed by Clive Mantle ) engaging Superman in battle outside the Metro Club and being destroyed by

3696-600: The double yellow lines to the United Nations , where he gives a speech. If that had been a scene in Superman I , we would actually have shot it on 42nd Street. Richard Donner would have choreographed hundreds of pedestrians and vehicles and cut to people gawking out of office windows at the sight of Superman walking down the street like the Pied Piper . Instead, we had to shoot at an industrial park in England in

3773-486: The failure of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace , Cannon Films considered producing a fifth film with Albert Pyun as director. Cannon's bankruptcy resulted in the film rights reverting to Ilya and Alexander Salkind . The story had Superman dying and resurrecting in the shrunken, bottled Krypton city of Kandor . The premise of Superman's death and rebirth coincidentally predated the 1992 " The Death of Superman " comic book storyline. In late 1987, DC Comics prepared

3850-468: The feckless Bianca, seeking to free herself from a relationship with warlock Nigel. Whilst not knowing exactly what it is, Selena quickly realizes the Omegahedron is powerful and can give her true magic. Kara arrives on Earth and is granted new powers by its environment and the radiation of its sun. While seeking the Omegahedron, she creates the cover identity "Linda Lee", cousin of Clark Kent , and enrolls at an all-girls school where she befriends Lucy Lane,

3927-687: The film took the #1 slot at the North American box-office during its opening weekend, it is widely considered to be a box office bomb after making only $ 14.3 million in North America. Supergirl holds an approval rating of 8% and has an average rating of 3.4/10 on Rotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews. Many of the reviews were harshly negative, with Dunaway's exceedingly campy performance especially reviled. The consensus reads: "The effects are cheesy and Supergirl's wide-eyed, cheery heroine simply isn't interesting to watch for an hour and

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4004-448: The film's production, the film's producer, The Cannon Group , suffered a major financial crisis that forced major budget cuts, and 45 minutes of footage were deleted after negative test screenings. The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and fans, citing plot holes and poor special effects. Plans for Superman V were cancelled, and no Superman films were released until Superman Returns in 2006. Superman saves

4081-466: The full-time job. Richard Donner claimed in the commentary for Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut that Cannon unsuccessfully asked him to return to the series, Donner delined his part due to a scheduling conflict with Lethal Weapon . Wes Craven was originally hired by Cannon Films to direct the film, but he and Reeve did not get along well and Reeve demanded that a new director be brought in. Although Reeve recommended Ron Howard , Sidney J. Furie

4158-631: The largest deals at the time, and released the Tri-Star-edited 105-minute U.S. version in 1985. The film has since been released several times on VHS, Betamax, laserdisc, and DVD. In 1990, the same 105-minute U.S. cut was re-released on VHS by Avid Home Entertainment. By the mid-1990s, the rights to the film were acquired by Pueblo Film Licensing (successor-in-interest to the Salkind production company ) and French production company StudioCanal . By this time Anchor Bay Entertainment had assumed

4235-615: The new editor. Lacy develops a crush on Clark. Superman seeks guidance in the Fortress of Solitude after hearing that the United States and the Soviet Union may engage in a nuclear arms race. Superman announces to the United Nations that he will rid the world of all nuclear weapons. Lenny Luthor breaks his uncle Lex Luthor out of prison. Lex and Lenny return to Metropolis to steal a strand of hair from Superman and create

4312-641: The premiere of the film. Supergirl (1984 film) Supergirl is a 1984 superhero film directed by Jeannot Szwarc from a screenplay by David Odell based on the DC Comics character of the same name . It is the fourth film in the Superman film series , set after the events of Superman III (1983) and serving as a spin-off of the series. The film stars Helen Slater as Supergirl, along with Faye Dunaway , Hart Bochner , Peter Cook , Mia Farrow , Brenda Vaccaro , and Peter O'Toole , with Marc McClure reprising his role as Jimmy Olsen from

4389-511: The previous Anchor Bay release. The commentary from the 2000 video release, "The Making of Supergirl" Featurette, and a theatrical trailer were carried over to WAC's latest issue. Material that was cut for the 105-minute version of the film included the Argo City opening, which was originally longer. Another cut scene from the US release is known as the "flying ballet", though included in the International Cut. As Supergirl arrives on Earth, she

4466-582: The production and ultimately released an unfinished film. Multiple locations were selected in England including the now abandoned Aldwych tube station for the Metropolis metro train scene used at the beginning of the film. You also have the city of Milton Keynes used to represent the UN in New York. According to writer Mark Rosenthal 's commentary on the 2006 DVD, in the gallery of deleted scenes included on

4543-431: The rain with about a hundred extras, not a car in sight, and a dozen pigeons thrown in for atmosphere. Even if the story had been brilliant, I don't think that we could ever have lived up to the audience's expectations with this approach. Rosenthal's DVD commentary cited this scene as an example of Cannon's budget slashing. According to Rosenthal, Reeve and Furie begged to be able to film that sequence in New York in front of

4620-558: The real headquarters of the United Nations because everyone knew how they looked and the Milton Keynes setting looked nothing like them, but Cannon refused. According to Rosenthal, they were "pinching pennies at every step". Shortly before production began at Elstree Studios on September 27, 1986, Cannon reduced the budget from $ 36 million to $ 17 million. Part of the problem was that Cannon financed its films by selling

4697-525: The rights to the character of Supergirl, should any sequel or spin-off occur. Supergirl was originally slated to debut in Superman III in a plot line intended to set up a standalone film, but her character was ultimately removed. The Salkinds announced the Supergirl film in April 1982, before production began on Superman III . After the critical disappointment of that film, the Salkinds opted to use

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4774-427: The rights to the film through their parent company Warner Bros. , released a single-disc DVD featuring the 124-minute "International Version" cut of the film, with only some extra material being carried over from the former out-of-print Anchor Bay releases, a commentary by director Jeannot Szwarc and Special Project Consultant Scott Bosco, and the theatrical trailer. This Warner Bros. release includes an edited version of

4851-417: The same. He also understands she must save Argo City and that he may not see her again. Kara returns the Omegahedron to a darkened Argo City, which then lights up again. Christopher Reeve was slated to have a cameo as Superman , but bowed out early on. His non-appearance in the film is explained via a news broadcast (overheard by Selena) stating that Superman has left Earth on a "peace-seeking mission" to

4928-425: The services of Richard Lester , who had directed Superman III and had completed the second film after their dismissal of original director Richard Donner . Robert Wise also turned down the director's chair. But French filmmaker Jeannot Szwarc , who was best known at that time for his work in television and for directing Jaws 2 , was ultimately chosen after a meeting with Christopher Reeve, who had complimented

5005-439: The starring role impossible. Time Warner let the Superman feature film franchise go undeveloped until the late 1990s when a variety of proposals were considered , including several that would reboot the franchise with different versions of the characters and settings. Eventually in 2006, a soft-reboot of the series, Superman Returns , was released and disregarded the events of Superman III and The Quest for Peace , though

5082-478: The story and director. Reeve pitched a storyline focused on the nuclear arms race in protest of the breakdown of the Reykjavik Summit and US President Ronald Reagan ’s military buildup and skepticism towards arms control . His story was accepted, and he was also considered as the film’s director. Although he was allowed to direct some second unit scenes, he was ultimately deemed too inexperienced for

5159-524: The studio and the partnership was strained after the critical and commercial underperformance of Superman III in June 1983, during the production of the film. The Salkinds insisted on moving the opening date from the summer to the holiday season in order to avoid competition with other major films and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles . The studio claimed it could not provide a holiday slot and relinquished its distribution rights of Supergirl to

5236-523: The studio for a $ 65 million line of credit from First Bank of Boston. During the production, the filming and special effects crews of the first three films were replaced with cheaper Israeli crews. Principal photography concluded at the beginning of January 1987. According to Jon Cryer, who played Luthor's nephew Lenny, Reeve had taken him aside just before the release and told him it was going to be "terrible." Although Cryer enjoyed working with Reeve and Hackman, Cryer claimed that Cannon ran out of money during

5313-410: The television and home video rights in advance, which failed with films of a budget of over $ 5 million. The studio had also gone six years without a major hit. The studio was narrowly saved from bankruptcy after a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to provide $ 75 million to repay its loans in exchange for distribution rights to its upcoming films, including Superman IV , which provided enough confidence in

5390-540: The video rights, where it was re-issued on VHS in 1998 as the "114-minute cut" under the Anchor Bay Entertainment Family Movies label. For their DVD release on August 8, 2000, two versions were issued. The first of these was a 2-disc "Limited Edition" set (limited to 50,000 copies only) featuring the 124-minute "International Version" (never seen in the United States, which was digitally mastered by THX for this DVD release), along with

5467-407: The weekend becoming the number one film in the UK for the weekend. It failed to retain number one spot for the week, grossing £987,495 compared to The Living Daylights ' s £1,108,256. It was the eighth highest-grossing film in the UK for the year with a gross of £3,457,959 ($ 5.5 million). The movie grossed $ 15.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $ 14.6 million internationally, for

5544-477: The younger sister of Lois Lane who happens to be studying there. Kara also meets and becomes enamored with Ethan, a school groundskeeper . Ethan also catches the eye of Selena, who drugs him with a love potion which will make him fall in love with the first person he sees for a day. Ethan regains consciousness in Selena's absence and wanders out into the streets. An angry Selena uses her new-found powers to animate

5621-585: Was "sexy, earnest". It fared no better with Variety . The Washington Post described it as "More sluggish than a funeral barge, cheaper than a sale at Kmart , it's a nerd, it's a shame, it's Superman IV ." Several critics disliked the special effects. The film was voted number 40 on a list of 'The 50 Worst Movies Ever' by readers of Empire magazine. It was also nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards , Worst Supporting Actress for Mariel Hemingway (lost to Daryl Hannah for Wall Street ) and Worst Visual Effects (lost to Jaws: The Revenge ). Before

5698-432: Was hired. Production of Superman IV began in 1986. In his autobiography, Still Me , Reeve described filming the movie: We were also hampered by budget constraints and cutbacks in all departments. Cannon Films had nearly thirty projects in the works at the time, and Superman IV received no special consideration. For example, Konner and Rosenthal wrote a scene in which Superman lands on 42nd Street and walks down

5775-646: Was more positive about the film, describing Slater as "an exceptionally charming Supergirl" and wrote that Supergirl had some "excellent—and excellently realised—flights of imagination." Grant criticised the "inconsistent" characterization of Slater and Dunaway's characters. In conclusion, he stated while Supergirl "was less than the sum of its parts, not all of those parts are insignificant." Colin Greenland reviewed Supergirl for Imagine magazine, and stated that "I may be old-fashioned, but I can't help wishing today's film-makers thought it worthwhile including

5852-465: Was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress . Years after her single appearance as Supergirl, Helen Slater took on the recurring role of Lara , biological mother of Clark Kent , on the TV series Smallville (2001-2011), and later played the recurring character of Eliza Danvers, the adopted mother of the titular character in the TV series Supergirl (2015-2021). A CGI version of the character makes

5929-416: Was still involved in the production since the studio owned the distribution rights to the film, and its parent company, Warner Communications , was also the parent company of DC Comics, owners of all "Superman and Superman family" copyrights. The entire film was shot, edited and overseen under the supervision of Warner Bros. and originally scheduled to be released in July 1984. However, the relationship between

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