Gatsby’s effect on the local industry

Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby may be crass, vulgar and, to some, disposable, but the broader benefits of its box-office success should not be underestimated says Ed Gibbs in a piece that first appeared in Encore.

He readily admits that critics rarely like his films. So it came as no surprise to Baz Luhrmann when The Great Gatsby opened to a critical mauling in the US and, more recently, in Europe, where it opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival. 

Yet this latest, so-called ‘critic-proof’ movie has far exceeded studio expectations, sailing past the $US100m mark at the US box office in just 14 days. Add the more recent international (ie non US) takings of $US64m to that, and the film has recouped its official budget ($US100m) and, almost, its taxpayer-funded grants and initiatives (said to be a further $US80m). Key territories such as Japan, Mexico and Brazil are due to follow shortly as the film is released in Australia today.

It would appear, then, that Baz is having the last laugh. Certainly, he was prepared to face the world’s media at Cannes, eloquently fielding whatever was thrown at him, defiantly standing his ground on the Croisette. I myself didn’t like the film one bit (‘blancmange’ best summed up my review from Cannes). Yet I couldn’t help but respect the man for having the audacity to tackle such a project, only to then turn up at the world’s biggest festival with a film swamped with scathing notices.