A Strong ‘Gatsby\' and Stronger ‘Iron Man 3\'

Warner Brothers Pictures Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of “The Great Gatsby.”

Moviegoers ignored naysaying critics and swarmed to Baz Luhrmann's stylized 3-D adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” over the weekend. But “Iron Man 3” (Walt Disney Studios) repeated as the No. 1 box office draw in North America, taking in $72.5 million, for a two-week total of $284.9 million. “Gatsby,” adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel and starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role, sold about $51.1 million in tickets in second place - an astounding result for a period drama.

Although “Gatsby” received mixed-to-negative reviews, Mr. DiCaprio remains a “Titanic”-sized draw among women, and Warner Brothers backed “Gatsby” with a highly effective marketing campaign. Still, the film was not cheap: Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow spent more than $150 million to produce it (about $100 million after factoring in tax credits), according to trade media reports. And 3-D sales were soft: Only about 33 percent of ticket buyers opted to see “Gatsby” in that format.

“Pain & Gain” (Paramount) was third, taking in $5 million, for a three-week total of $41.6 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box office data. “Peeples” (Lionsgate), a new African-American comedy that counted Tyler Perry as a producer, was a distant blip on the cultural radar, taking in about $4.8 million, for fourth place, though it cost only about $15 million to make. “42” (Warner) was fifth, selling $4.7 million in tickets, for a five-week total of $84.8 million. Of note overseas: “Star Trek Into Darkness,” working to overcome a terrible foreign track record for the franchise, arrived in seven countries and took in $31.7 million, compared to the opening-weekend total of $19.2 million in those same markets for “Star Trek” in 2009, for an increase of 65 percent.