“The Great Gatsby” didn’t have such a great response at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday. The opening film, directed by Baz Luhrmann, was met with silence at its morning press screening- literally no applause. Some of the audience even left early and missed the main closing credits.

The situation was no better on Wednesday night. The black tie red carpet audience was filled with celebrities from Julianne Moore to Sacha Baron Cohen, husband of Isla Fisher, who plays Myrtle in the movie. There was what some called “muted response,” “polite applause,” and a basically tepid response. Nowhere to be found were the customary ten minute standing ovation, whistles, shouts of “Bravo!” and the like. There was no foot stomping.

At the rain-drenched but still swanky dinner thrown by the Festival for the movie and the new jury, answers to the question “How did you like it?” were met with cautious responses. One juror, a celebrity, simply said, “I’m glad it wasn’t in competition.” A Paris TV talk show host said, directly,  “I hated it.”

Otherwise, the dinner turned out to be a lot of fun—even though outside torrential rains caused expensive gowns to be water logged and high heels to be toppled. Trains—the ones that follow gowns—were not running on time.

Nicole Kidman was smart and didn’t have one. She looked like a million bucks in a billowy gown. Kidman told me she was eagerly awaiting the arrival of husband Keith Urban on Friday, right after he finishes up “American Idol.”  She acknowledged that Urban, like the other judges, are not returning.

“I don’t know what they want,” she said of the Idol producers. “I liked Keith on the show and I watched it. I thought it was great.”

Juror Ang Lee told me about his upcoming FX channel pilot called Tyranny. He’s directing it, and “Tyranny” is written the creators of “Homeland.” Ang said “It’s modern day, and set in a Syria-like country.” But he added: “Make no mistake it is not Syria.”

Other guests at the dinner included Tobey Maguire, who stars in “Gatsby” and is now also producing two upcoming films. Jury chief Steven Spielberg brought wife Kate Capshaw and two of their kids. Leonardo DiCaprio had his father and step mother as guests, but they were seated at a table far away from him. His actual dates were huge bodyguards, the size of Viking ranges.

Meanwhile, over at the post-dinner party thrown by Warner  Bros for “Gatsby”—again in monsoon rains—so many name guests were denied entry to the VIP area that there was a mass exodus after Florence (of the Machine) sang one song on the stage. Very amusing was watching Warner  party chiefs and French speaking body guards making director Lynne Ramsay, a Cannes juror who’d just been on the main stage, cool her heels.

“She’s a juror,”  at least ten people yelled only to receive blank stares. The other jurors were smart enough to have gone home directly from the dinner. It was a crappy end to an otherwise elegant night.

The Cannes Film Festival is gearing up for Wednesday night’s red carpet premiere of “The Great Gatsby.” The film, with $55 million banked since Friday in the U.S., will launch worldwide from here.

Posters and adverts adorn the front of the famous Carlton Hotel. Tonight– Tuesday– the cast and their guests are getting a private dinner party at the Cap D’Antibes villa of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovitch.

On Thursday they’ll be treated to a private dinner at the famed Michelangelo restaurant.

In between, “Gatsby” opens the film festival on Wednesday with a black tie screening at the Palais on the Croisette. The whole gang– DiCaprio, Maguire, Mulligan, Luhrmann– will attend the festival dinner immediately following the screening. But by midnight they’ll be at yet another private party that will rage on until they retreat to the Hotel du Cap in Antibes.

Meantime, the “Gatsby” soundtrack surprised just about everyone this past week It finished at number 2 on the charts, selling around 135,000 copies. The CD collection is propelled by Beyonce, Jay Z, Emeli Sande, and will.i.am, among others.

Elsewhere in Cannes: the jury had a private dinner at the Hotel Martinez. Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Nicole Kidman, and Christoph Waltz were all in attendance. They’ll be introduced to the public on Wednesday at an afternoon press conference, and then at the evening’s formal presentation.

“Bling Ring” director Sofia Coppola was seen in the Martinez lobby around cocktail time. She and her cast were going out to dinner. “Bling Ring” screens on Thursday.

Super producer and director Irwin Winkler and his wife were strolling up the Croisette on Tuesday afternoon. On Saturday Winkler will present Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” to be shot next year in Taiwan starring Andrew Garfield. Scorsese wil be here, and their whole unveiling is set for a big yacht.

But rain and cold weather are coming– three days of it. Already some parties have been rescheduled until next week. Everyone is hunkering down. And poor mobile tele-communicating can be a drag on top of it. (Thanks to TMobile for making life extra difficult while on the road.)

And at home, look for a tense couple of days wrapping up “American Idol” on Wednesday and Thursday. My sources say the judges have had it. These are two “live” shows. But if they get to the end of it without a murder mystery everyone will be relieved.