The highly anticipated and equally controversial film adaptation of "Wuthering Heights," helmed by director Emerald Fennell, has concluded its first week in theaters worldwide by successfully doubling its production budget at the box office. The film, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, has generated $152 million globally, comprising $60 million domestically and an additional $92 million from international markets, significantly surpassing its reported budget of $80 million.

This box office triumph saw "Wuthering Heights" outpace two of Margot Robbie's recent period dramas, "Amsterdam" and "Babylon," in its opening weekend alone. Furthermore, after just ten days on the global stage, it has overtaken "RRR," director S.S. Rajamouli's epic historical action movie from India, which earned $150 million in 2022. "RRR" was a critical and commercial success, riding a wave of positive buzz to a Best Original Song Oscar, emerging as the highest-grossing Indian film of its year, and becoming a word-of-mouth sensation in the United States. Rajamouli is currently developing his next large-scale action-adventure film, "Varanasi," slated for a 2027 release.

"Wuthering Heights" has garnered divisive reviews from critics and audiences alike. While some have questioned Fennell's interpretation of Emily Brontë's classic 19th-century novel, labeling it as a perceived inaccurate portrayal, others have championed her bold vision as a refreshing and much-needed departure from conventional period dramas. The movie holds a 59% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critical consensus describes it as "Liberally adapting Emily Brontë's classic story with a heavy dose of carnality and chic stylization, Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights might not be the stuff of high literature, but it is a visually vibrant pleasure."

The film features a notable cast with Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Elordi, who also serves as one of the film's producers alongside Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Josey McNamara, has seen a remarkable rise in his career. The young Australian recently received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars for his role as "The Creature" in Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein." His journey from Netflix's "Kissing Booth" trilogy to HBO's "Euphoria" suggests that "Wuthering Heights" is likely aimed at a similar target audience. The film, rated R, is a Drama and Romance, with a runtime of 136 minutes and was released on February 13, 2026.