Updated
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, the British Superman
Superman IV (1987): made at Elstree on a slashed budget, Milton Keynes as Metropolis, a royal premiere, a UK No. 1 opening and the lost Nuclear Man.
The short answer
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) was Christopher Reeve's last Superman film. Cannon made it at Elstree Studios from September 1986 after cutting the budget from $36 million to $17 million, and turned Milton Keynes into Metropolis. It had a royal premiere in Leicester Square, opened at No. 1 in the UK and was the eighth-biggest film of 1987 in Britain, but critics hated it and it took only $15.6 million in the US.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace has a rough reputation, but it’s also the most British of the Superman films. It was shot in Hertfordshire, starred Milton Keynes as Metropolis, had a royal premiere in London and opened at No. 1 in the UK.
The film at a glance
| Studio | Cannon (Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus) |
| Director | Sidney J. Furie |
| Writers | Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, from a story by Christopher Reeve, Konner and Rosenthal |
| Released | 24 July 1987 (UK, US and Canada) |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| BBFC | PG (mild fantasy violence) |
Reeve’s idea
Cannon bought the rights from Ilya Salkind for $5 million in June 1985. Christopher Reeve agreed to return for $6 million, backing for his film Street Smart, and approval of the story and director. The story was his: Superman decides to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
Made at Elstree on a slashed budget
Shortly before filming, Cannon cut the budget from $36 million to $17 million. Shooting began at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood on 27 September 1986 and ended in early January 1987. The budget cut explains the rough effects, and why English locations had to stand in for America.
Milton Keynes as Metropolis
| In the film | Real place | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations plaza, New York | The forecourt of Milton Keynes Central station | Confirmed |
| Daily Planet lobby | A health-club entrance at 488 Avebury Boulevard | Confirmed |
| Metropolis Hyatt | The Avebury Building, now the Argos headquarters | Confirmed |
| Metropolis Museum of Modern Art | The old Winter Gardens | Confirmed |
| Metropolis subway | Aldwych tube station, London | Confirmed |
| The Kent farm | Farmland outside Baldock, Hertfordshire | Likely |
| A US Air Force base | A former airfield at St Albans | Likely |
More British locations, from Pinewood to Shepperton, are in Superman filmed in Britain.
The lost Nuclear Man
After a poor test screening in Southern California, about 45 minutes were cut (Likely), leaving a 90-minute film. The cuts included the first Nuclear Man, a Bizarro-like prototype played by the English actor Clive Mantle, who fights Superman outside the Metro Club. In the released film, Mark Pillow plays the Nuclear Man. Footage of the Metro Club scene was reported found in March 2026 (Likely).
No. 1 in Britain
The film had a royal premiere at the Leicester Square Theatre on 23 July 1987, attended by Prince Charles and Princess Diana. It opened at No. 1 in the UK, taking £508,468 on 234 screens, before The Living Daylights overtook it in its second week. It finished as the eighth-highest-grossing film of 1987 in the UK, with £3,457,959.
America was less kind. It took only $15.6 million in the US and Canada, critics savaged it, and Reeve himself later called it a catastrophe from start to finish. It was his last time in the cape.
Where it fits
Superman IV ended the Reeve series. Superman Returns (2006) later picked up after Superman II, skipping III and IV. See Superman films in order, and for the age rating, our parents’ guide.
Questions
Where was Superman IV filmed?
Mostly in England: at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, and on location in Milton Keynes, which played Metropolis and New York. Aldwych tube station in London was the Metropolis subway, and the Kent farm was rebuilt near Baldock in Hertfordshire.
Why does Superman IV look so cheap?
Shortly before filming, Cannon cut the budget from $36 million to $17 million. That's why the effects look rough and why English locations such as Milton Keynes stood in for New York.
Was Superman IV a hit in the UK?
At first, yes. It opened at No. 1 in the UK in July 1987 and finished as the eighth-highest-grossing film of the year in Britain, with £3,457,959. In the US it took only $15.6 million.
Who was the Nuclear Man in Superman IV?
Mark Pillow plays the Nuclear Man in the released film. An earlier, Bizarro-like Nuclear Man, played by the English actor Clive Mantle, was cut along with about 45 minutes of footage after a poor test screening.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
- Movie-locations.com: Superman IV
- Den of Geek: a pilgrimage to the filming locations of Superman IV (24 November 2014)
- Den of Geek: 10 remarkable things about Superman IV
- Buckinghamshire Live: the Milton Keynes location (10 March 2021)
- CapedWonder: Superman IV at 35 (part 2)
- BBFC: search for Superman IV