The critics were always going to be waiting with baseball bats for Baz Luhrmann's latest film. Baz has become one of those directors they just love to hate even when his flicks- the last they laid into, Australia -are still a financial hit.
But The Great Gatsby really has confounded them especially in the USA where the viewing public has taken Luhrmann's Gatsby to heart. To date the $180M epic has reaped in $312M at the box office, most of that in the USA. Audiences love it and while much of that can be put down the star power of Leo DiCaprio, now Hollywood's most bankable movie star of all time, it's a credit to Luhrmann that he could actually get DiCaprio, the most chased actor in the world. DiCaprio has made no secret of his loyalty to Luhrmann ever since he acted in Romeo &Juliet which sealed his star status.But Luhrmann has another, notch to add to his belt. Since he first announced his plans to film F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel, which sold poorly during the author's lifetime, sales have been climbing. For the last 5 years now the book has remained in Amazon's top 100 all time best sellers. Take a bow Baz!
