Wuthering Heights, Emerald Fennell’s divisive adaptation of Emily Brontë’s tale of doomed love, has soared to the top of the UK box office, taking £7.7m over its opening weekend. This represents a significant overperformance compared to North America, where it took around $38m (UK box office usually amounts to around 10-15% of US haul).
The home advantage might help account for some of the fervour around the film, which was shot by a British woman in the Yorkshire Dales, and the supporting cast of which also largely hails from the UK. Lukewarm reviews would likely not have dented box office significantly given strong pre-sales and a baked-in appetite over Valentine’s weekend.
