Opening Weekend Forecast: £3M – £4M
Theatrical Total Forecast: £15M
Wuthering Heights proves the old maxim that all publicity is good publicity, as re-imagining one of Britain’s most seminal novels through the lens of provocative director Emerald Fennell has sparked equal parts excitement and outrage. From its first teaser trailer, the film has received acres of free press through columns and social media posts, helping it to become one of the 2026’s most talked about releases.
The noise surrounding the film is remarkably similar to that of Fennell’s 2023 outing Saltburn, which racked in £5.6 million—impressive for a 15-rated completely original project. Combining her unique style with the well-known IP of Brontë’s novel and the bona fide star-power of Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are expected to drive even higher box office heights.
Distributor Warner Bros. are also taking advantage of the Valentine’s (and, equally important, Galentine’s) day weekend. Marketing has pushed Wuthering Heights as “the greatest love story ever told” and foregrounded the intense romance of its leads Catherine (Robbie) and Heathcliff (Elordi). Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy rode the same weekend last year to blockbuster receipts of £46.3 million. While we don’t expect Wuthering Heights to get anywhere close to this figure, it shows Valentine’s Day is a lucrative launching pad for romantic and female-skewing films.
There is a risk that Emerald Fennell’s deliberately loose approach to the source material could cut out some revenue by alienating the book’s core fan base, who may otherwise have driven repeat viewings. Furthermore, Margot Robbie is not impervious to box office flops, having in several recent high-profile disappointments, including 2022’s Amsterdam (£1.7 million) and Babylon (£3.9 million), along with last year’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (£1.3 million). However, the runaway success of Barbie (£96 million) shows her ability to break out when combined with an eye-catching, high-concept, star-vehicle much like Wuthering Heights.
Indeed, Robbie (who produced both Barbie and Wuthering Heights) is borrowing heavily from her legendary Barbie promotional tour, where she regularly dressed in life-size Barbie outfits, by coming out to bat for Wuthering Heights in gothic couture stylings which reflect the film’s historical setting. Small moves like this can’t be underestimated in our Instagram- and image-oriented media ecosystem. The film also has a techno soundtrack, courtesy of Charli XCX, to match Barbie’s pop-girlie summer anthems. This will help the film’s legs beyond opening weekend by keeping it in audience’s ears and the cultural conversation.
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