‘The Great Gatsby’ Earns $51.1 Million At Weekend Box Office

The Great Gatsby earned an estimated $51.1 million at the box office this weekend.

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel proved to be a bit more popular with moviegoers than many industry insiders had anticipated. Warner Bros. believed the film would make around $35 million on opening weekend, while analyst predicted $45 million.

The film was certainly off to a good start on Thursday night. Early screenings of The Great Gatsby brought in around $3.3 million. Friday’s numbers were even better; Luhrmann’s adaptation snagged an impressive $19.4 million on opening day.

As impressive as this total may be, it wasn’t enough to push Gatsby into the top spot. For the second week in a row, director Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 claimed the top spot at the box office. The highly-anticipated sequel claimed an additional $72.4 million from moviegoers over the span of three days.

Disney and Marvel’s third entry in the acclaimed series has earned $284 million since its debut in North America. The film has performed quite well in foreign markets as well, bringing home a whopping $664. The international total for Iron Man 3 currently stands at $948 million. The sequel is well on its way to $1 billion.

Other films currently in theaters simply couldn’t keep up with either The Great Gatsby or Iron Man 3. Director Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain landed in third place with only $5 million in tickets sales. Tyler Perry Present Peeples, this weekend’s other new release, came in fifth with only $4.8 million in receipts. This is low for a movie bearing Perry’s name.

The Tom Cruise sci-fi flick Oblivion managed to snag sixth place with $3.9 million, bringing its box office total to $81 million. However, 42, The Croods, and Oz the Great and Powerful continued to make a considerable amount of cash weeks after their debut in theaters.

A list of this weekend’s top 10 has been included below.

1. Iron Man 3 – $72.4 million
2. The Great Gatsby – $51.1 million
3. Pain & Gain – $5 million
4. 42 – $4.6 million
5. Tyler Perry Presents Peeples – $4.8 million
6. Oblivion – $3,900,000
7. The Croods – $3.6 million
8. The Big Wedding – $2.5 million
9. Oz the Great & Powerful – $802,000
10. Scary Movie 5 – $706,000

Did you catch The Great Gatsby or Iron Man 3 in theaters this weekend? Are you surprised that Shane Black’s sequel is the top film at the box office for the second week in a row?