Superman Returns To The Top Of The Box Office

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s a massive box office success.

With an impressive, though not record-breaking $52.15 million opening, the Warner superhero revival flick easily earned top spot at the box office, just as it was expected to.

It also moved into second on Hollywood’s superhero list by beating last year’s Batman Returns, which hauled in $48.7 million. However, 2004’s Spiderman 2 is still the undefeated champ, taking in a record five-day opening of $152.4 million.

The other new wide release of the weekend, The Devil Wears Prada, was a pleasant surprise but a distant second, taking in $27 million. The movie stars Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway but was expected to fall short of $20 million.

Coming in in third was Adam Sandler’s remote comedy Click, which was good for $19.4 million.

But nothing could touch the Man of Steel, who returned to the big screen for the first time in 19 years. Newcomer Brandon Routh plays Clark Kent and his alter ego opposite lady love Lois Lane, who is assumed by Kate Bosworth. Veteran star Kevin Spacey appears as Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor, who surprise, surprise, is trying to take over the world.

The film also had blockbuster credentials behind the lens, as director Bryan Singer was also pulled the strings on X-Men and X2: X-Men United.

“Bryan is just such a bright and creative individual. He had his own vision, and he was right and did a great job,” said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution.

Critics seem to agree, and the fact that box office number enjoyed an overall five per cent boost from the same weekend last year is proof the two top films were more than just accidents.

The Devil Wears Prada, adapted from Lauren Weisberger’s best-selling novel, stars Hathaway as an aspiring journalist who takes a job at a fashion magazine where she works for tyrannical editor Streep. The movie’s audience may have been almost entirely made up of women, but the numbers still spell success.

“I don’t know what to say. This is beyond my expectations,” said Bruce Snyder, the head of distribution for 20 ^th Century Fox, which released the film.

Here’s the rest of the weekend’s top 10 with all figures estimated according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

   1. Superman Returns, $52.15 million.

   2. The Devil Wears Prada, $27 million.

   3. Click, $19.4 million.

   4. Cars, $14 million.

   5. Nacho Libre, $6.2 million.

   6. The Lake House, $4.5 million.

   7. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, $4.4 million.

   8. Waist Deep, $3.3 million.

   9. The Break-Up, $2.8 million.

   10. The Da Vinci Code, $2.3 million.