“Superman” Returns Two Days Early
Posted: Wednesday May 31st, 2006 3:47pm
Source: Dark Horizons
Author: Garth Franklin

Warner Bros. Pictures is planning to release “Superman Returns” two days earlier on June 28th, a Wednesday.

Aside from filmgoers getting to see it earlier, it gives the comic book adaptation two more days to collect box office revenue before Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” makes it walk the plank.

In economic terms it makes good sense and Wednesday openings certainly haven’t harmed other superhero films of late (eg. Batman Begins, Spider-Man 2). Also, with the holiday falling on the following Tuesday this year, the movie essentially has a real seven day clear run to maximise profits.

In the same weekend in 2004, “Spider-Man 2” amassed $180 million in its first six days. Last year, “War of the Worlds” took in $112.7 million in the same period. Its expected “Superman” will amass somewhere in between these two amounts over its first six day run, as to which one it’ll be closer too is a mystery for now.

The downside with this news is that the movie is unlikely to break much in the way of opening weekend records as the Wednesday and Thursday takings will subtract from the Friday-Sunday grosses. Opening weekend grosses are an important perception factor these days.

Finally, the more action packed trailer that premiered with “X-Men: The Last Stand” is now up at Yahoo.com