8 Movies That Bombed So Hard They BANKRUPTED Their Studios

When the first Superman feature film hit cinema screens in 1978, it changed the landscape of film forever. With its ground-breaking use of special effects and genuinely emotional moments, it was the first indication for Hollywood that superhero movies might be worth investing in.

Naturally, it was followed by three sequels in an attempt to cash in as much as possible on this new franchise. But being in something only for the money can be perilous. Sometimes, you still luck out and get a halfway decent end product. And other times, you get Superman IV.

The film looks noticeably cheap the whole way through, a result of having its $36 million budget slashed in half. A particularly hilarious example is a scene in which Superman is supposed to be approaching the United Nations building in New York City. Of course, any viewer with even a vague idea of what that building looks like can see that Superman is not even in America. The scene was, in fact, shot in Milton Keynes, with very little effort made to hide that fact.

The Cannon Group, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy even with the movie’s reduced budget, was bought out by Pathe Communications the following year, and soon ceased to exist altogether. Not so super, man.