Something was up. It sold over $3.2 million in tickets late Thursday night. Mostly to women, we’re told.
And then Friday happened — $19 million all in. Mostly women. Who don’t go for comic book movies, as a rule. They prefer romances, an American “Downton Abbey” with a beat.
That means “The Great Gatsby” is a certified hit. A $53 million weekend is what the Baz Luhrmann version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece is looking at, according to deadline.com. Reviews be damned.

That cast — Leo and Tobey and Carey Mulligan and Isla Fisher and Joel Edgerton — and 3D and a whiz-bang modernist(3D) approach to the material has added up to a movie that Warners was smart to gamble on.

It’s better than the purists have sniffed, but will audiences give it good word of mouth?

“Iron Man 3” is losing most of its opening weekend heat, but could pull in some $67 million (It did $19 Friday, as well) according to tracking.

The bad news this weekend is that the better reviewed lightweight comedy “Peeples” did no business Friday. None. It HAS to earn more than $3 million this weekend, but Nikki Finke is saying that’s where it is headed.

Tyler Perry and Lionsgate will NEVER preview a movie again if that happens. Perry will push his name onto the title again (it’s on it, but it’ll be “Tyler Perry Presents” if this bombs). Come on, people. It deserves better than that.