Will 'Man of Steel' Make $100 Million Next Week? - Via Renewables (NASDAQ:VIA)

With dozens of promotions -- including toys, countless TV spots and early screenings from

Wal-MartWMT

and dozens of movie theaters across the country --

Time Warner'sTWXMan of Steel

is expected to be one of the summer's biggest films.

Bear in mind that

Viacom'sVIAStar Trek Into Darkness

was also expected to be a summer blockbuster, especially after fans (and curious moviegoers) piled into theaters to see the original. The sequel lost its luster after moviegoers

learned about the story

and the

numerous problems

associated with the film. The

underwear controversy

did not help. "It's hard to emerge from 'Into Darkness' without a feeling of disappointment, even betrayal," The New York Times' A.O. Scott

wrote in his review

. Reviews do not typically dictate how moviegoers perceive films, but they proved to be a strong warning for how this sequel would perform.

Star Trek Into Darkness

grossed

$70 million

during its opening weekend -- far less than the $100 million that many experts believed it would earn. The film plummeted quickly and may not be able to

match the total domestic earnings

of its predecessor. Unlike

Man of Steel

, which is a reboot to a failed attempt at bringing

Superman

back to the big screen,

Star Trek Into Darkness

is the sequel to a film people universally enjoyed. With that in mind, investors may wonder if

Man of Steel

is doomed.

BoxOffice.com

believes that the film will earn $108 million when it opens on June 14 and earn $325 million overall. Movie blogger Edward Ghazaley has published a

similar prediction

. Others believe it could earn

$400 million

. Is this feasible? The

Superman

brand is very successful, but it has been a long time since it has ruled the box office. Even so, FinancesOnline.com has produced a fact-filled infographic that demonstrates the property's immense power:

Man of Steel does have one advantage over other potential summer blockbusters, however: production help from Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan. Nolan also assisted with the story, but David S. Goyer wrote the screenplay.

Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ

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