Lets not forget how long the 747 has been flying in all it's variants. You can expect the A380 to be operational for at least as long and production in place the whole, or most of, the time.
Just because it hasn't enough orders to break even currently doesn't mean that the elusive break-even line will not be crossed
Also, the sheer scale of production and the aircraft itself have left the public in awe - is this not what helped fuel initial 747 sales - the public wanting to fly on something that 'shouldn't fly'.
I'd bet money on Airbus being able to meet the break-even line, given time. It's been a huge project and been vastly expensive, so one cannot possibly expect it to have broken even before it's first commercial flight, but it'll get there.
That being said, it is a beast of an a/c! The 747 is much prettier, but I think for aesthetics the 346 is at the top - in commercial aviation at least.