"Superman Returns" inches toward $200 million

When I worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, my first job evaluation was a rave review. But my rankings consistenly were “meets expectations.” My boss explained to me that his expectations when he hired me had been exceptionally high.

If he hadn’t expected a whole lot of me, I could have ended up with a lot of sterling “exceeds expectations.” Just as if everyone hadn’t expected so much of “Superman Returns,” which earned another $7.46 million at the box office this past weekend, it wouldn’t be labeled a disappointment. But there were those high expectations - Entertainment Weekly had forecast it as the summer box-office-king — so it’s now being seen as an underperformer as it struggles toward the $200 million mark.

The good news for Superman fans who liked the movie is that according to reports out of the San Diego Comic-Con, Bryan Singer fully intends to direct a sequel - though a deal apparently isn’t inked yet with Warner Bros.