Don't judge a book by its cover – or a movie by its hype.
Superman Returns has been marketed as a high-voltage action movie. Its action scenes have plenty of voltage, but its personal drama also is strong. It's a mythical adventure, a poignant search for identity and a story of familial and romantic love.
As such, the film can be many things to many people, and among those "many people" are women of all ages. In fact, Superman Returns may be most enjoyed by women dragged to the multiplex by male friends.
Yet, according to Fandango ticket service statistics, women are the demo most resistant to another Superman movie.
"Seventy-six percent of our ticket requests have been from males," Fandango spokesman Harry Medved says.
Some of Superman Returns' most favorable reviews have come from women critics, including The Associated Press' Christy Lemire, the Houston Chronicle's Amy Biancolli and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Eleanor Ringel Gillespie.
They were struck not only by the film's consistent child-is-father-to-the-man theme but also by the romantic triangle composed of Superman-Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Lois' fiancé, Daily Planet staffer Richard White. Solid reasons exist for Lois to wind up with either man, but our lips are sealed.
Once word of mouth circulates, there's a good chance women will head for the 'plex. Web prognosticators predict an $86 million haul for the Wednesday-Sunday opening. That doesn't happen unless both genders line up.
E-mail pwuntch@dallasnews.com
