The Wolf of Wall Street is a movie.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a 2013 American biographical black comedy crime film directed by Martin Scorsese . It was a major commercial success , grossing more than $ 392 million worldwide during its original theatrical run to become Scorsese 's highest-grossing movie and the 17th-highest-grossing film of 2013 . The film was controversial for its morally ambiguous depiction of events , explicit sexual content , profanity , depiction of hard drug use and the use of animals during production . The film received mostly positive reviews from critics , with praise for Scorsese 's direction , the comedic performance of DiCaprio and the fast-paced and consistent humor . The film was nominated for several awards including five nominations at the 86th Academy Awards ceremony : Best Picture , Best Director for Scorsese , Best Writing ( Adapted Screenplay ) for Winter and Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations for DiCaprio and Hill , respectively .