Los Angeles, CA – Emerald Fennell’s reimagining of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights has stormed the global box office, grossing US$76.8 million (£56m, A$108m) in its opening weekend, according to figures released Monday by Warner Bros. Pictures.
The film, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, respectively, earned US$34.8 million from 3,682 North American locations, marking the highest opening weekend of 2026 to date. Although falling short of initial projections of a $40m to $50m domestic debut, Warner Bros. Anticipates the film will reach $40 million by the end of the President’s Day long weekend in the United States.
Internationally, Wuthering Heights exceeded expectations, bringing in US$42 million across 76 territories. Notably, audiences outside North America were comprised of a larger proportion of male viewers, with PostTrak polling indicating 76% of ticket buyers in North America were women. The film too performed strongly in Australia, Robbie and Elordi’s home country, generating A$6.07m (US$4.3m) in its opening weekend, a result attributed to the stars’ “home field advantage” by Deadline.
With a global total of US$82 million, including the President’s Day weekend figures, Wuthering Heights has reportedly recouped its $80 million production budget. Upcoming releases in Japan and Vietnam on February 27th, and in China on March 13th, are expected to further bolster the film’s financial performance.
The success of Wuthering Heights arrives at a pivotal moment for Warner Bros. Pictures, as Paramount Global continues to pursue a hostile takeover bid. The film represents Warner Bros.’ ninth consecutive No. 1 opening, following a successful 2025 slate that included A Minecraft Movie, Final Destination Bloodlines, and Weapons. The studio also holds strong positions in the upcoming awards season with contenders Sinners and One Battle After Another.
Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights has proven divisive among critics, currently holding a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the mixed critical reception, only 51% of opening-weekend audiences indicated they would “definitely recommend” the film to friends, and it received a B CinemaScore from moviegoers.
“This was a solid if not record-breaking Presidents Day/Valentine’s weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, who heads marketplace trends for Comscore. “But that was to be expected without an MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe] film.”
The animated film GOAT, produced by basketball star Stephen Curry, secured the second position in the North American box office with an estimated US$26 million from 3,863 locations. Projections estimate an additional $6 million on Monday, bringing its four-day total to US$32 million – the largest animated debut since Elemental in 2023. The film also earned US$15.6 million internationally, for a global total of US$47.6 million.
Rounding out the top three, Crime 101, starring Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, opened to an estimated US$15.1 million in its first three days across 3,161 theaters. Amazon MGM Studios distributed the thriller, which is expected to reach $17.8 million by the end of Monday. Still, the film faces a significant challenge in recouping its reported production budget, which exceeded $90 million.
The Walt Disney Studios also announced a milestone this weekend, becoming the first studio to surpass $1 billion at the global box office in 2026, largely driven by the continued success of Avatar: Fire and Ash, and supported by the ongoing performance of Zootopia 2, which remains in the top 10 after 12 weekends in theaters.
Final North American box office figures for the four-day President’s Day weekend will be released on Tuesday.
