Wuthering Heights leads globally despite losing U.S. crown
Emerald Fennell’s polarizing adaptation of Wuthering Heights opened alongside the animated family film GOAT and, while it ceded the domestic box office crown to the latter, it emerged as the top English-language film worldwide over the weekend. The film has accumulated more than $150 million globally so far, buoyed by international markets even as several Chinese New Year releases dominated the overall worldwide chart.
GOAT’s broader family appeal has given it steadier audience legs in the U.S., while Wuthering Heights benefited from immediate curiosity and international turnout. Early debate around Fennell’s reinterpretation of Emily Brontë’s novel helped drive interest at launch, but that same controversy appears to have narrowed the film’s ongoing urgency among audiences.
Why GOAT is holding stronger domestically
Several factors explain GOAT’s stronger domestic performance:
- Animated family films generally draw multi-generational audiences and repeat viewings.
- Broad, mass-market appeal often translates into longer legs at the multiplex compared with adult-oriented dramas.
- Positive early word-of-mouth for family titles typically sustains attendance beyond opening weekend.
Wuthering Heights, meanwhile, attracted an intense but more limited demographic—viewers drawn to star power and bold adaptations—so its opening momentum is more vulnerable to critical division.
Critical reception and the controversy over the source material
Fennell’s adaptation has proved divisive. Some critics and purists have criticized the film for taking liberties with the novel’s themes and tone, arguing the director’s interpretation departs from Emily Brontë’s original intentions. That controversy generated headlines and curiosity, but it has also narrowed the pool of viewers who feel compelled to see the film immediately; those who dislike the approach may skip it entirely, while others who want to judge the reimagining rushed in on opening weekend.
On aggregate review sites, Wuthering Heights sat at roughly 59% after 10 days in release—an indicator of mixed critical response. Audience reactions have been similarly varied, with praise for performances and production design counterbalanced by debate over adaptation choices.
Financial stakes: production, marketing and the theatrical gamble
Wuthering Heights was produced on a reported budget of $80 million. Warner Bros., committed to a broad theatrical rollout, is said to have spent about $100 million on marketing. That combination places the film’s break-even threshold in the neighborhood of $350 million worldwide, a level that takes into account distribution splits and promotional outlays.
Producers reportedly declined a $150 million offer from Netflix in order to pursue a theatrical release via Warner Bros. The decision reflects a desire to position the film on the big screen and leverage star-driven box office potential, but it also increases financial pressure to deliver sustained global revenue.
Cast, creative team and production details
- Director and screenwriter: Emerald Fennell (adaptation credited alongside Emily Brontë)
- Lead cast: Margot Robbie (Catherine Earnshaw) and Jacob Elordi (Heathcliff)
- Supporting cast includes Shazad Latif and Alison Oliver
- Producers: Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara
- Runtime: 136 minutes
- Reported production budget: $80 million
- Release date: February 13, 2026
Robbie, who also serves as a producer, follows several recent box-office disappointments. Her continued box-office relevance after the global success of Barbie makes Wuthering Heights a high-profile test of her star power in a more adult, contentious project.
How Wuthering Heights compares to past subversive period films
The film’s early grosses have already eclipsed the lifetime global total of Guy Ritchie’s 2015 spy-tinged period picture The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which closed its run with about $110 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $84 million. Ritchie’s film was positioned as a potential franchise starter but stalled due to modest revenue and mixed reviews; it sits at about 68% on aggregate review platforms.
Like Ritchie’s film, Fennell’s Wuthering Heights seeks to upend genre expectations—reframing a canonical work rather than delivering a straightforward period drama—which can both attract attention and limit mainstream appeal.
Near-term outlook and what to watch next
- International markets will be critical for Wuthering Heights’ profitability; family-oriented competitors and local holiday releases will shape its week-to-week stamina.
- Ongoing critical reaction and audience word-of-mouth will determine whether interest stabilizes or falls off after the opening surge.
- The film’s theatrical-only strategy raises the bar for sustained box-office performance; if overseas receipts continue to build, the title could close the gap toward its break-even target, but the current global total indicates a long runway remains.
Wuthering Heights is currently playing in theaters. Monitor weekend grosses and regional breakdowns for a clearer sense of whether Fennell’s bold adaptation will find long-term commercial footing or remain a high-profile, short-lived cultural moment.