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The Great Gatsby breaking international box office records; Premiere in Sydney, Australia tonight - 22nd May 2013...

Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby' is packing big numbers at the box office internationally and is tipped to also break records down under in Australia.

The flick is making its Sydney, Australia premiere at Entertainment Quarter - Fox Studios Australia tonight...rain, hail or shine... and its looking like rain at this stage with a few short hours to go until the stars hit the red carpet.

Luhrmann has been receiving a mixed bag of reviews from the news media, as is often the case. Who cares that much if the public keep flocking to see the film.

Baz off the plane from Cannes to be greeted by the news that his $180 million adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary classic was at the top of the international box office, 10 days before its Australian release on May 30.

The Great Gatsby snatched $42 million in its opening weekend across 49 territories, including the UK, Russia, and France, just besting Iron Man 3 ($40.2 million) and Star Trek: Into Darkness ($40 million).

"It's good to see there's another superhero in town," said Luhrmann ahead of Wednesday's star-studded Sydney premiere to be attended by stars Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton and Elizabeth Debicki.

"This one wears a tuxedo and has a glass of champagne, but he's not James Bond."

Returning to the city in which the film was shot, Luhrmann was aware that he had just pulled off the biggest gamble of his 22-year career.

"We’ve got a bona fide literary blockbuster on our hands," he said today.

"When does that happen?

Baz Luhrmann brings the big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, to life in a way that has never been seen before.

"It ain't over till it's over, but the numbers are way above expectations."

Gatsby has already snatched $90 million in the US - significantly more than Academy Award nominee Moulin Rouge! ($57 million), Australia ($51 million) or Romeo Juliet ($46 million) - and industry observers are predicting the total box office will reach $140 million.

Before Gatsby opened, industry observers were questioning the wisdom of Warner Bros' decision to go up against the major tentpole releases of the US summer.

"It was an extraordinarily big gamble," Luhrmann acknowledges.

But that was before DiCaprio's Gatsby surprised Robert Downey Jr's Marvel superhero by beating him to the No 1 spot in the US - albeit for just one day.

Far from gloating about Gatsby's roaring success, Luhrmann's initial response is one of relief- for "the crew, the cast, this city, this state, this country and the financier (Warner Bros) that took a crazy risk - no one funds adult drama. They must feel they weren't totally crazy to back this horse."

Luhrmann's love of glittering excess, so derided by the critics, has taken the spectacle-driven superhero movies on at their own game. The film's success has also silenced the doubters who until now saw 3D as the domain of action adventures and sci-fi fantasies.

Stay tuned as we bring you breaking news and photographs from tonight's red carpet premiere in Sydney.

Cast:

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan Isla Fisher as Myrtle Wilson Jason Clarke as George Wilson Adelaide Clemens as Catherine Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker Amitabh Bachchan as Meyer Wolfsheim Jack Thompson as Nick Carraway's Doctor, Walter Perkins Gemma Ward as Languid Girl Callan McAuliffe as Young Jay Gatsby Gus Murray as Teddy Barton Stephen James King as Nelson Jens Holck as a Monk Alison Benstead as Anita Loos Max Cullen as Owl Eyes Brendan Maclean as Klipspringer Joel Amos Byrnes as Rowdie Chris Proctor as William Kate Mulvany as Mrs. McKee Kim Knuckey as Senator Conor Fogarty as Gatsby's Butler Sam Davis as a Barman Tasman Palazzi as young Gatsby Edward Midgley as Ernest Lilly Gareth Hamilton-Foster as Gatsby's Waiter Vince Colosimo as Michaelis

Websites

The Great Gatsby thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com

Bazmark www.bazmark.com

Warner Bros. www.warnerbros.com

Entertainment Quarter www.eqmoorepark.com.au

Eva Rinaldi Photography www.evarinaldi.com

Music News Australia