Wuthering Heights rides lust, controversy and box‑office uncertainty
Emerald Fennell’s provocative reworking of Wuthering Heights opened to a swirl of strong reactions this weekend, with museum staff praising its brazen eroticism even as mixed audience scores and surprising counterprogramming left the film’s domestic haul hovering below early hopes. Global projections remain healthy, but the four‑day forecast in North America is now very much in play.
Museum staff and a biographer embrace a racy, altered Brontë
The film’s explicit departures from Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel—BDSM elements, sustained sex scenes on the moors, and a reimagined narrative that trims the book’s second half—have split viewers. Among those offering an enthusiastic response, staff at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth described the picture as "amazing, " "exciting" and emotionally affecting. Several staffers said the film felt like a fever dream, praising the costumes, soundtrack and the central performances.
Emily Brontë’s most recent biographer in attendance called the film enjoyable, noting strong performances and a mixture of intensity, tragedy and a degree of fun. Museum staff conceded the adaptation is not faithful to the novel and will likely unsettle purists, but many argued it remains an entertaining riff that could steer new readers back to the original text.
Critics and academics, however, have flagged the omissions and conflations of characters and plotlines. For literature students and purists hoping for a faithful period drama, this version will be a jolt; for others the radical reinterpretation is precisely the point, an auteurist spin that prioritizes mood, heat and psychological intensity over strict fidelity.
Box office: strong worldwide start projected, but domestic questions persist
Early box‑office tallies show a promising global launch, with projections near the low eighties in millions. Domestically, forecasts that once flirted with a $50 million opening have tightened; the film’s three‑day total stood at $34. 8 million through Sunday (ET), leaving it short of the four‑day target many had penciled in.
To reach a projected $40 million for the long weekend, the film would need roughly $9. 4 million on Monday (Presidents Day). Audience measures offer mixed signals: exit polling and PostTrak data were solid but not overwhelming, and the film earned a B CinemaScore—respectable, but not the sort of grade that guarantees long legs in theaters.
Complicating matters is robust competition from a family‑friendly animated release that has outperformed some expectations. That rival title posted strong weekend numbers and could edge close to or surpass Wuthering Heights over the four‑day span. The animated contender’s unexpected strength underscores the delicate calculus studios face when counterprogramming for a holiday weekend that mixes Valentine’s Day viewers with Presidents Day moviegoers.
What’s next for Fennell’s take and the Brontë conversation
For Emerald Fennell, the film represents another bold auteur gamble following earlier provocative work. If it hits global targets, the commercial result will validate a risk‑forward theatrical strategy that seeks to pair bold creative choices with star power. But whether the movie becomes a cultural touchstone or a divisive curio may hinge on word of mouth over the coming weeks and how younger viewers respond to its blend of lust and cruelty.
Meanwhile, custodians of Brontë’s legacy are already weighing in. Some hope this iteration will drive new readers to the novel, while others caution that the adaptation’s liberties could skew perceptions for those who encounter the story on screen first. Whatever the outcome, the film has reopened a long‑running debate about adaptation fidelity and the line between homage and reinvention—one that is likely to play out in classrooms, cinemas and living rooms in the months ahead.
