‘Wuthering Heights’ becomes biggest movie of 2026 so far
Wuthering Heights has officially become the biggest film of the year so far, taking a total of $76.8 million at the box office over the course of its opening weekend.
The Emerald Fennell film, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in a retelling of the classic Emily Brontё novel, scored a total of $34 million at the US box office alone, making it the most successful movie to be released since the start of this year.
Despite this, it did fall short of the estimated opening takings of between $40 and $50 million, according to The Guardian, although it is expected to still hit this target over the course of the President’s Day long weekend taking place in the US.
If Wuthering Heights is to continue on this trajectory, along with the fact that it is yet to be released in countries such as Japan, Vietnam, and China, it is likely to easily recoup its $80 million production budget.
Although it has become the most successful release of the year so far, the film has been met with a divided response from critics and audiences alike, with many criticising Fennell’s approach and interpretation towards adapting the classic 1847 novel.
On top of this, it seems that Wuthering Heights has only gained the status as the highest-grossing movie since it is one of the only major blockbusters to have been released at this early point in 2026.
Other major expected hits in the romance realm being released in the coming months include The Drama, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, and The Devil Wears Prada 2.
There are also a plethora of huge action-based blockbusters hitting the screen later in the year, such as Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Dune: Part Three, and the Marvel epic Avengers: Doomsday.
Aside from this, many critically acclaimed films such as Hamnet and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You may have been celebrated in an awards capacity, but don’t tend to typically fare as well at the box office.
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