Superman Returns (2006)

It's divisive. Only 59% of audiences liked it, by Google's archived audience score. Critics gave it 72%.

Superman returns to discover his 5-year absence has allowed Lex Luthor to walk free, and that those he was closest to felt abandoned and have moved on. Luthor plots his ultimate revenge that could see millions killed and change the face of the planet forever, as well as ridding himself of the Man of Steel. Wikipedia ↗

Superman Returns is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer, conceived as a direct sequel to Richard Donner's Superman II, ignoring the third and fourth films. Brandon Routh stars as Superman, who returns to Earth after a five-year absence spent searching for the remnants of Krypton, only to find that Lois Lane, played by Kate Bosworth, has moved on — she has a son, a fiancee, and a Pulitzer Prize for an editorial titled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." Meanwhile, Lex Luthor, played by Kevin Spacey, plans to create a new continent using stolen Kryptonian crystals. Bryan Singer treated the material with reverence bordering on religious devotion — Superman's return was explicitly framed as a Christ-like second coming, and the visual aesthetic faithfully honored the Donner films' classical approach.

Brandon Routh's physical resemblance to Christopher Reeve was striking, and his performance captured the character's gentle, otherworldly quality. Superman Returns earned $391 million worldwide on a $204 million budget.