Springtime Box Office

De Caprio's new picture has traction.

While Disney/Marvel’s Iron Man 3 is heading for its second weekend atop the box office charts in North America, Warner Bros./Village Roadshow’s The Great Gatsby had a jazzy opening day, pulling in an estimated $19.4 million, including the $3.25 million it collected at Thursday night screenings. ...

And The Croods pass $170 million.

FRIDAY BOX OFFICE (TOTALS)

1) IRON MAN 3 -- $19,757,000 ($232,178,000)

2) THE GREAT GATSBY -- $19,400,000

3) PAIN AND GAIN -- $1,324,000 ($37,932,000)

4) TYLER PERRY PRESENTS PEEPLES -- $1,185,000

5) 42 -- $1,110,000 ($81,192,000)

6) OBLIVION -- $1,000,000 ($78,792,000)

7) THE CROODS -- $700,000 ($170,315,000)

8) MUD -- $637,000 ($6,657,000)

9) THE BIG WEDDING -- $568,000 ($16,356,000)

Add On: Rolling Stone analyzes the weekend:

WINNER OF THE WEEK: The Great Gatsby. Nothing succeeds like excess. That's the lesson behind the estimated $51.1 million debut of Baz Luhrmann's lavish, garish 3D version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic the-party's-over novel. ...

LOSER OF THE WEEK: Peeples. Not everything Tyler Perry touches turns to gold. His movies typically open near $20 million, but he didn't write or direct this meet-the-parents comedy, just produce it and put his "Tyler Perry Presents" banner on top. Despite Perry's name and the presence in the lead roles of TV stars Craig Robinson (The Office) and Kerry Washington (Scandal), Peeples opened in fourth place with an estimated $4.9 million. ...