While reviews of the adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, "The Great Gatsby," have been lukewarm, the film still pulled in $51 million during its opening weekend.
But with summer blockbuster season continuing in full force, the $51 million debut wasn't enough to beat out "Iron Man 3", which pulled in $72 million over the weekend, according to CBS. The figure puts the comic book-inspired film at $284.9 million in the U.S. after only 10 days since its release.
"Gatsby" executives were pleasantly surprised at the film's high numbers, according to Forbes. The movie pulled in $19.4 million on Friday alone, Forbes said. Warner Bros., the film's distributor, projected a $35 million opening weekend, CBS reports.
Internationally, "Iron Man 3" pulled in $89.3 million in its third weekend overseas, rocketing its international total to $664.1 million and its total worldwide to $949 million.
Movie goers are responding to "The Great Gatsby" by buying tickets, but the film has failed to wow critics. The movie has been heavily dissected for Director Baz Luhrmann's adaptation and portrayal of Fitzgerald's characters, millionaire Jay Gatsby played by Leonardo DCaprio and his love interest Daisy Buchanan, portrayed by Carey Mulligan.
Tobey Maguire tells the story of the Roaring Twenties on Long Island, but the verdict is out if The Great American Novel translated well to Hollywood for Luhrmann's version. This, the fifth film version of the book, could supersede the 1974 Mia Farrow and Robert Redford version, which has been the most popular "Gatsby" remake to date.
"Gatsby" was DiCaprio's second-largest film debut with "Inception" being his first at $62.8 million.
