Spacey steals the show

Kevin Spacey, who plays the evil Lex Luthor in Superman Returns, almost stole the show from star Brandon Routh as crowds of fans cheered his arrival and queued for autographs.

The actor, who is artistic director at the Old Vic theatre, told movie fans: "I'm glad to be home."

And he could not help but plug the West End theatre, adding: "I hope all the children that go and see the movie will then want to come and see Lex Luthor at the Old Vic."

Joining him on the red carpet at the Odeon Leicester Square was 26-yearold Routh and co-star Kate Bosworth, who plays journalist Lois Lane.

Routh, an unknown before landing one of Hollywood's most famous roles, arrived with his girlfriend, actress and producer Courtney Ford.

After signing autographs for the crowd, he said: "I'm so glad we finally get to show the film here. We had to wait until the World Cup was over."

He added: "It didn't rain, which is good - although I guess Superman could do something about that if it did." Asked about how he prepared himself to look like Superman, he said: "It's not a matter of looking but feeling. It's how you feel inside. Everything should connect emotionally."

Bosworth, wearing a daring Gucci backless purple and black mini-dress, praised her fellow American co-star.

The 23-year-old said: "Brandon is one of the kindest, most generous people I've ever worked with. He's definitely going to go a long way and he didn't need any tips from me." She added: "There's a lot of expectation from fans of the film who have certain ideas about the character and the details, but it's incredible to have fans who believe so strongly in the film."

Superman Returns, which stays faithful to the spirit of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, sees the caped crusader return to Earth after a long absence to find Lois Lane has moved on and had a child.

The £140million film opens nationwide today.