Despite mixed reviews and polarizing fan reactions, Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights is set to debut with $70 million at the global box office – nearly topping its $80 million budget.
According to Deadline, the film is set to premiere in 18,000 theaters around the world. Netflix initially offered $150 million for the budget, but Fennell ultimately chose Warner Bros (which will soon be owned by Netflix anyway). The film stars Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw, who, as the classic Emily Brontë story goes, falls in love with an orphan boy named Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi). The cast includes Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell.
At the time of writing, Wuthering Heights stands at 72% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, though the audience score, aka the Popcornmeter, remains to be seen. Many critics have praised Robbie and Elordi's chemistry, but can't seem to agree on whether or not the film counts as a true adaptation... something Fennell herself has been playing around with, as much of the advertising for the film depicts the title as "Wuthering Heights" in cheeky quotation marks.
The earliest known live-action adaptation of the novel came about in 1920, with 1939's Wuthering Heights starring Laurence Oliver and Merle Oberon becoming a classic. Director Andrea Arnold's interpretation hit theaters in 2011, with Kaya Scodelario as Catherine and James Howson as Heathcliff.
Wuthering Heights hits theaters on February 13, 2026. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2026 and beyond, or check out our list of movie release dates.
