By Scott Weinberg
The Salkinds might not have been too kind to Superman in the long run, but when they handed the character off to Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus (a.k.a. Cannon Films, schlock-house extraordinaire), the result was monumentally disastrous. Creators of the "Death Wish" sequels, several Chuck Norris junkers, and the woeful live-action "Masters of the Universe," Cannon approached their Superman sequel as they did most of their projects -- as a cheap, pre-packaged product.
Early in the process, Superactor Christopher Reeve said he'd only participate given a chance to shape the story, and he was given the OK. And with the Salkinds well gone and out of the equation, series regulars Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman were willing to come back for another go. But Cannon had tons of capital tied up in three-dozen other projects, which meant that "Superman IV" would be created with a ridiculously small budget. Yikes.
Since this was the mid-'80s, and since Reeve was evidently a pretty socially-conscious guy, it was decided that "Superman IV" should deal with the hero's battle against... nuclear weapons. But when that crafty Lex Luthor saves some nuclear power for his own nefarious deeds (like, he creates a hilariously stupid Supervillain called Nuclear Man), things are gonna get...silly. Toss in an outrageously grating performance by Jon Cryer, production value on par with an old-school "Godzilla" sequel, and a screenplay packed with insipid dialogue.... hey, y'know, maybe "Superman III" wasn't so bad after all.
Again, like all truly bad movies, "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" now has its fair share of supporters, but it sure didn't back then on July 24, 1987. The thing ended up grossing less than $16 million, and for a superhero sequel to fare that poorly at the box office, you just know something went astronomically wrong. For his part, Reeve called "Superman IV" "a catastrophe from start to finish."
And like that... the Superman movie series was well and duly comatose. Thanks, Salkinds. Thanks, Cannon.
(I mean, seriously, has a superhero series ever devolved this quickly?! I'd take the third Batman flick over the third Superman! Well, maybe not, actually... And there's a fun brainteaser for you: Which is worse? "Batman & Robin" or "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace"?)
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