I always wondered who would win in a fight between Superman and Spider-Man... [YAHOO:] Compared to Spider-Man, Superman looks like an 89-pound weakling--at least when it comes to their respective box-office prowess.
Superman Returns, the long-awaited revival of the Man of Steel franchise, took in an estimated $21 million in its debut Wednesday, an opening that was termed "solid" by one analyst, but an opening that fell short--very short--of standards set by Marvel Comics' webslinger.
Overall, Superman Returns now ranks eighth on the list of all-time Wednesday debuts, just behind War of the Worlds' ($21.3 million) and just ahead of Jurassic Park III's ($19 million).
The all-time Wednesday king? Spider-Man 2, which snared $40.4 million in 2004.
In the annals of all-time biggest openings, regardless of when the opening occurred on the calendar, Superman Returns checks in at 29th place, according to the stats at BoxOfficeMojo.com. Spider-Man 2 checks in at third place; the original Spider-Man, released in 2002, checks in at fifth place ($39.4 million). Read more.