Wuthering Heights Adaptation Dominates Global Box Office with $77m Opening
Emerald Fennell's divisive new film adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic novel Wuthering Heights has made a spectacular debut at the global box office, raking in an impressive $76.8 million during its opening weekend. This romantic drama, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the iconic lovers Catherine and Heathcliff, has already recouped its entire reported $80 million production budget, marking it as the year's biggest opening so far.
Strong North American and International Performance
In North America, the film earned $34.8 million from 3,682 locations, falling slightly short of early projections that anticipated a $40 to $50 million opening. However, studio Warner Bros. remains optimistic, projecting that the film will reach the $40 million mark by the conclusion of the President's Day long weekend. The film's performance was notably stronger among female audiences, with PostTrak polling indicating that 76% of ticket buyers in North America were women.
Internationally, Wuthering Heights exceeded expectations, generating $42 million across 76 territories. Interestingly, audiences outside North America were reportedly more male-dominated. The film performed exceptionally well in Australia, where it earned A$6.07 million ($4.3 million), a success attributed by industry analysts to the "home field advantage" of its Australian stars, Robbie and Elordi.
Critical Reception and Audience Response
Fennell's reimagining of the Brontë novel has polarized critics, currently holding a mixed score of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the divided critical opinion, audiences flocked to theaters, though only 51% of opening-weekend viewers stated they would "definitely recommend" the film to friends. Moviegoers awarded it a B CinemaScore, indicating a lukewarm but not entirely negative reception.
Paul Dergarabedian, who heads marketplace trends for Comscore, commented on the weekend's performance, stating, "This was a solid if not record-breaking Presidents Day/Valentine's weekend. But that was to be expected without an MCU film."
Upcoming Releases and Studio Context
The film's financial success is particularly timely for Warner Bros., as the studio faces an uncertain future amid a hostile takeover bid from Paramount, with Netflix also in contention. Wuthering Heights represents the studio's ninth consecutive number one opening, following a successful 2025 slate that included A Minecraft Movie, Final Destination Bloodlines, and Weapons. Warner Bros. also boasts two key contenders at this year's Oscars: Sinners and One Battle After Another.
Looking ahead, Wuthering Heights has several major market openings on the horizon, including releases in Japan and Vietnam on February 27, and in China on March 13. A global total of $82 million, accounting for the entire US long weekend, would mean the film has already covered its production costs, though marketing and promotion expenses are additional.
Other Box Office Highlights
In other box office news, GOAT, an animated film produced by US basketball star Stephen Curry, secured second place in North America with an estimated $26 million from 3,863 locations. Projections suggest it will earn an additional $6 million on Monday, bringing its four-day total to $32 million—the biggest animated debut since Elemental in 2023. Internationally, GOAT pulled in $15.6 million, resulting in a global total of $47.6 million.
Taking third place, Crime 101, a thriller starring Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, made an estimated $15.1 million in its first three days. Amazon MGM Studios opened the film in 3,161 theaters, with expectations of reaching $17.8 million by Monday's end. However, the movie faces a challenging path to recoup its reported production budget, which exceeded $90 million.
Meanwhile, The Walt Disney Studios celebrated a significant milestone, becoming the first studio to cross $1 billion at the global box office in 2026. This achievement was driven largely by Avatar: Fire and Ash, with additional support from the enduring success of Zootopia 2, which remains in the top 10 after 12 weekends in theaters.
Final North American box office figures for the four-day long weekend will be released on Tuesday.
