Despite lukewarm reviews and the stiffest competition yet this year from week two of Disney’s “Iron Man 3,” Baz Lurhman’s extravagant native stereo 3D version of Warner’s “The Great Gatsby” enjoyed a swinging $51 million on its opening weekend.
But even that wasn’t close to competing with another $72 mil. for the converted “Iron Man 3.” That was down more than a staggering $100 mil. from its opening weekend, but still leaves a two-week total of $285 mil. and a global total of $949 mil.
Paramount’s “Star Trek: Into Darkness” will create a top three in 3D this coming weekend of May 17-19.
Two other 3D movies also remained in the top ten over the weekend of May 10-12, Fox’s “The Croods,” now at $173 mil. domestically and $533 mil. worldwide, and Disney’s “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” now at $230 mil. domestic and $487 mil. globally.
As for “Gatsby,” the movie would have grossed millions more if even an typically average number of half-to-three-fourths of moviegoers paid the premium to see it in 3D, as they have been doing with “Iron Man 3” and most other 3D movies. But in a rare situation, despite “Gatsby’s” months-long delay to accommodate the longer production time for Luhrman to shoot the movie in 3D instead of having it converted after-the-fact like “Iron Man 3,” only 33% of the movie’s gross this weekend came from 3D showings, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
That’s too bad, because the 3D is one of the strongest elements of the 2 1/2-hour “Gatsby.” Oddly, music doesn’t dominate the film as in most of Luhrman’s movies. Even his typical over-the-top visuals are toned down a but, though the movie still looks great, and is enhanced by the use of the 3D. Of particular noticeable 3D effect are the scenes looking across the lake from Gatsby’s perspective, picking out the distant green light on the dock below Daisy’s house, falling glitter at a party and snowflakes during the opening titles.
DiCaprio is solid and sufficient as the self-made dashing and charming host of lavish parties for this generation of young moviegoers, but he is not as convincing as Robert Redford in the previous biggest production. Likewise, Tobey Maguire is a lesser version of Nick than Sam Waterston. And Bruce Dern and Karen Black were much more slimey and pathetically sympathetic as the filthy mechanic and his slutty wife.
Sadly, unlike Luhrman’s groundbreaking “Romeo + Juliet” in 1996, which also starred DiCaprio, and his “Moulin Rouge,” which were both iconic films for a generation, “Gatsby” does not seem to even aspire to that kind of stature, and certainly does not come close to achieving it. Rather, it is somewhat disappointingly a fairly straight-forward linear drama presented in a very traditional way. As such, it is not particularly memorable.
— By Scott Hettrick