"Great Gatsby" is First Luhrmann Film to Pass $100 Million in U.S.

Baz Luhrmann's exuberant adaptation of " The Great Gatsby," the American classic novel of opulence and depravity in the roaring twenties, has just surpassed the $100 million mark in the U.S. domestic box office, making it his first film to do so.

Warner Bros. announced on Friday that the film had reached $100 million 14 days after its release. Luhrmann's last big film " Moulin Rouge" grossed $57 million in 2001.

It's a great pat on the back for an outsider director whose exorbitant style has critics in a twist, usually not in his favor. He recently link he identified with Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald, having both been panned and called "clowns" by critics at the time of their works' release. "The critical fallout is pretty much identical for all my films. It's not just mild disappointment. It's like I've committed a violent, heinous crime against a personal family member."

His distinctive indulgent style may have made him he perfect director for the film, which is also star Leonardo DiCaprio's eighth film to cross the $100 million threshold.