Wuthering Heights Set to Dominate the Valentine’s Weekend Box Office
Fueled by sweeping romance and star power, Wuthering Heights is poised to dominate the Valentine’s weekend box office. Early forecasts from Warner Bros. point to a strong global debut as audiences rush to relive the timeless tale on the big screen.
Warner Bros. is rolling out a new Wuthering Heights for Valentine’s and the four-day Presidents Day frame, and early numbers say it could land big. Classic tragic romance, glossy new package, two very famous leads — you get the pitch.
Opening weekend by the numbers
- Global debut forecast: $70 million to $80 million
- Domestic (four-day) target: $40 million to $50 million from 3,600 North American locations
- International: about $30 million from 11,600 screens across 79 territories in the first wave
The worldwide rollout spans roughly 18,000 screens, with major markets in the mix: the UK, France, Korea, Germany, Italy, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Spain. Expect premium formats — Imax, Dolby Cinema, drive-ins, dine-ins, and other large-format setups — to juice totals via ticket upcharges.
Why the timing helps
The film arrives just as Jacob Elordi rides an Oscar nomination for Netflix’s Frankenstein, which never hurts awareness. It also doubles as the first wide studio release from Emerald Fennell since Promising Young Woman established her as a filmmaker to watch.
Who is showing up (and how it compares)
U.S. tracking looks strongest with women over 25, followed closely by women under 25 in both unaided awareness and first-choice interest. Those indicators are lining up with romance-heavy comps like Fifty Shades Darker ($46.6M) and It Ends With Us ($50M). Critics are middling-to-positive so far: the film sits at 71% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Release particulars
U.S. previews kick off at 3 p.m. on Thursday. The film is rated R, and it is, yes, a fresh spin on Emily Bronte’s windswept doom-love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff.
International pulse check
Early UK previews last weekend pulled in $1.8 million. Overseas projections are being measured against a previous melodrama breakout: The Housemaid, which opened at $34.8 million and ultimately cleared $350 million worldwide. If Wuthering Heights taps similar date-night momentum, the runway is there.
Deal-making wrinkle
Warner Bros. acquired the finished MRC production for $80 million — reportedly beating out a $150 million bid from Netflix. On paper, that math raises an eyebrow, but the terms clearly favored a traditional theatrical push.
The package
Directed by Emerald Fennell and headlined by Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, the production shot in the Yorkshire Dales to chase that moody, fog-and-heather vibe. The movie leans into sweeping romance with star wattage, and the release window is engineered for date-night demand. If that opening projection range holds, Wuthering Heights is about to own the holiday corridor.