'Great Gatsby' Charms with Sparkling Opening

The onscreen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic 1925 novel The Great Gatsby, drew a strong turnout in its opening weekend, reeling in an estimated $51.1 million.

The ensemble drama featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Isla Fisher centers on a group of individuals who struggle to assert themselves in the economic prosperity of the Roaring Twenties.

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Amid bouts of romance and drama, one of the main underlying themes is the discord between old and new money, friction which the Gatsby experienced at the box office this weekend.

Despite its impressive $50-million-plus opening, Gatsby was surpassed for the No. 1 spot by the third installment of Marvel's mega action franchise Iron Man, which drew $72.5 million in its second weekend.

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With its box-office dominance, Iron Man 3 has now garnered a remarkable domestic total of $284.9 million and amassed a gargantuan $949 million worldwide, putting itself within spitting distance of crossing the extraordinary $1 billion mark.

While Iron Man 3 and Gatsby drew flocks to theaters, Tyler Perry's comedy Peeples wilted with a meager $4.9 million in its opening weekend to put the film at No. 4, behind Pain and Gain.

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Directly below Perry's flop were 42 ($4.7 million, $84.7 million) and Oblivion ($3.9 million $81.7 million), which continued to draw sturdy numbers after a month of release in theaters.