LOS ANGELES, July 11 (UPI) -- Movie industry insiders say Warner Bros. Pictures will not consider a Superman sequel unless "Superman Returns" tops $200,000 million in the United States.
In any case, any "Superman" follow-up would have to operate on a smaller budget, TMZ.com reported. Warner Bros. President and Chief Operating Officer Alan Horn is said to be so concerned about the costs of special effects that any sequel would be limited to a $150 million budget, $55 million less than that of "Superman Returns."
"Superman Returns" was off to a good start, grossing $52.5 million its opening weekend and $74 million over the five-day Fourth of July holiday. But as Variety's box office guru Ben Fritz noted, "not as fast as a speeding bullet."
Warner Bros. bypassed European and Latin American territories during the World Cup, and its second weekend in release overseas, "Superman Returns" dipped 55 percent to take in $9 million in 14 markets.
