Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” grossed about $34.8 million at the domestic box office over its traditional opening weekend, according to early numbers reported by multiple outlets – far outpacing the openings of the director’s cult hits “Saltburn” and “Promising Young Woman” as fans flocked to the theaters over the Valentine’s Day holiday.
Warner Bros. is projecting the film will gross $40 million over the long Presidents’ Day weekend.
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Key Facts
Fennell’s adaptation of the Charlotte Bronte classic, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, debuted at 3,682 North American theaters over the weekend.
The film’s $34.8 million gross over the traditional three-day weekend is slightly below projections published by Box Office Pro last week, which originally saw the film grossing somewhere in the $35 million-$45 million range.
However, “Wuthering Heights” has turned into a surprise hit overseas, pulling in an estimated $42 million at the box office.
Warner Bros. is also projecting the film will still gross $40 million at North American theaters over the entire Presidents’ Day weekend.
Fennell’s adaptation is proving divisive with fans and critics—it earned a “B” CinemaScore from viewers polled after screenings, but mixed or average scores from both critics and reviewers on MetaCritic.
How Does ‘wuthering Heights’ Compare To Fennell’s Other Films?
“Wuthering Heights” is Fennell’s biggest opening weekend to date by far. ”Promising Young Woman,” starring Carey Mulligan, opened to $719,305 during the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2020. The British director’s first feature film proved to be a hit on the art house circuit, grossing about $6.4 million in North America and another $12.3 million in theaters abroad, according to Box Office Mojo data. 2023’s “Saltburn” was an even bigger hit. The Barry Keoghen-helmed film initially grossed about $322,000 after opening in seven theaters, but added another $3.2 million after expanding to 1,566 theaters over Thanksgiving weekend in 2023. “Saltburn” grossed a total of $11.4 million at domestic theaters over the course of its theatrical run, as well as an additional $9.6 million overseas.
What Other Films Opened This Weekend?
“Goat,” Sony’s animated children’s sports comedy about farm animals playing a basketball-like sport, almost upset “Wuthering Heights” for the biggest opening of the weekend. Current projections have the film grossing $26 million over the traditional weekend, or $32 million including Presidents’ Day, Deadline reported. “Crime 101,” an Amazon MGM-distributed thriller featuring a star-studded cast including Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Keoghan, Monica Barbaro and Halle Berry, also debuted over the weekend. However, it came in a distant third place with only $15.1 million gross. That’s still ahead of weekend projections from Box Office Pro, which saw it pulling in $8 million to $13 million at the box office over the traditional weekend.
Surprising Fact
Fennell turned down an offer of $150 million from Netflix to acquire her adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” Variety reported in 2024, opting instead to go with Warner Bros.’ much lower bid of $80 million. Fennell and her producers, including Robbie, took the lower bid due to Warner’s offer of a full theatrical release and marketing campaign, the trade publication reported. Netflix is attempting to purchase Warner Bros., and the company’s CEO Todd Sarandos has frequently criticized long theatrical runs in the past.
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