China Exclusive: 'The Great Gatsby' wins mixed response in China

Cast member Leonardo DiCaprio arrives on the red carpet for the screening of the film 'The Great Gatsby' and for the opening ceremony of the 66th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes May 15, 2013.[Photo/Agencies]

BEIJING  -- "The Great Gatsby", an American doomed love story which depicts the luxurious life of the upper class and individual struggle for better life, has received a mixed response since its debut in China.

The film, an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel set in the Jazz Age of 1920s United States explores themes of decadence, idealism and excess.

The movie attracted more than 60,000 votes and was rated 7.7 out of 10 as of Saturday at douban.com, a major entertainment website in China, making it one of the best reviewed films among moviegoers in the past week.

The film ranked 6th in the box office charts in the week ending on Tuesday since its debut on Friday Aug 30.

"I was encouraged by the film and will make greater efforts in order to live a better life," 27-year-old movie-goer surnamed Liu told Xinhua after watching the film in downtown Beijing.

The film, which was directed by Australian Baz Luhrmann, is described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream set in an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and social upheaval.

America's Jazz Age boasted its economic prosperity with growing skyscrapers and the luxurious life of the rich, but ordinary young people were flocking to big cities to seek better opportunities in the hope of changing their fates.

Photocall for 'The Great Gatsby' in Cannes

'The Great Gatsby' screened in Cannes