'Superman' Makes Anemic Debut

    The estimates for the opening of "Superman Returns" are in, and the results are mixed.

    To put it mildly, "Superman" didn't have a super return on Wednesday night, even with numbers included from Tuesday night sneak previews.

    Boxofficemojo.com is calculating a $21 million take in total with the Tuesday receipts.

    For a movie that cost upward of $300 million, this could be reason to break out the Pepcid AC in Burbank. That's because "Superman" has to do an initial run starting tonight of about $25 million a night through at least Sunday to set itself up for success. We're not talking about a record here, either, just a big hit.

    On the list of all-times, it ranks at No. 8 for a Wednesday opening, No. 21 for a single day and No. 29 for all-time openings. Ouch! Compare that to the recent "X-Men 3," which broke all records when in opened in May.

    The Tuesday-Wednesday numbers may indicate a lackluster response to all the hype surrounding the movie. On the other hand, it could be that people are waiting for the real start of the Fourth of July weekend.