Margot Robbie Sets Wuthering Heights Ablaze as First Reactions Rave

Emerald Fennell brought her spin on Emily Bronte to Hollywood, and the first wave of reactions says she did not play it safe. Her third feature, Wuthering Heights, just premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, and the social chatter that followed points to a stylish, horny, high-drama take that is already splitting the purists from the curious. The movie hits theaters on February 13, 2026.

The vibe so far

• Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are getting across-the-board raves, especially for their chemistry. One early viewer called it a career-best turn for Elordi and top-tier work for Robbie.
• The craft is a big talking point: cinematography, costume design, and production design are all getting singled out as drop-dead gorgeous.
• The music is a standout too, with multiple reactions shouting out the needle drops and the involvement of Charli XCX. A moment built around The Dark Eyed Sailor is getting specific love.
• Expect heat and edge. People keep describing this as a more sensual, twisted interpretation, not a straight-laced book report. Some think fans of the novel will either love the swing or hate it.
• Several critics emphasized the scale. Think lush, big-budget romantic tragedy energy, the kind of glossy studio filmmaking we do not see as often anymore.
• Beyond the two leads, Allison Oliver is being called weird and wonderful, and the cast also includes Hong Chau, Owen Cooper, and Ewan Mitchell.
• These impressions landed right after the world premiere on January 29, once the social embargo lifted.

"A scorching hot and twisted tale."

– Variety's Jazz Tangcay, reacting on X

How far does it wander from Bronte?

Pretty far, if you are asking the early crowd. One reviewer flat-out refused to weigh in on faithfulness but said the thing works on its own terms as a nuanced romantic tragedy. Others framed it as Fennell taking a classic, flipping it, and leaning hard into passion and obsession. Translation: if your mental picture of Wuthering Heights is a dusty school assignment, this one is not that.

What else to know

This is Fennell's third feature after Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, and she wrote the screenplay here too. The movie pairs Robbie and Elordi as the central inferno, wraps them in lavish craft work, and layers on a musical sensibility that people are already calling bombastic in a good way. One viewer even pointed to a specific song cue as the moment that sealed the deal for them.

Bottom line: early word is mostly glowing, with some caution that the liberties taken will rile the book faithful. If you want something bold and a little feral for Valentine’s weekend, this sounds like it.