there are many orders for the aircraft, it will be built and it is going to be a massive success.
Hasn't booked as many orders as the concorde yet... So how did conc do?
The 747 was launched on a dare from Juan trip who backed his bet with an order for 25 aircraft.
Other than leasing companies no one has come forward with a compareable order in todays markets (remember there are now dozens of airlines larger than PANAM was when it made that order)
They will build it, national pride is at stake, and it will fill a niche, but the reason that the 747 was popular was not its large size, it was its long range. more than 2/3rds of all 747s were bought for RANGE not size. A 777/A340-500 can connect virtually any two points on earth which means they are gonna be marketing the A380 strictly on size, without having another extra special ability to connect 2 unconnectable cities.
Cheers
Wino