Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic novel Wuthering Heights opened to strong box office results, grossing $11 million on its first day in North American theaters. The film stars Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff in a tale of forbidden love and vengeance. Behind-the-scenes details reveal innovative production design and hair and makeup that enhance the story's gothic atmosphere.
Directed by Emerald Fennell, Wuthering Heights reimagines the 1847 novel through a lens inspired by the director's teenage experiences. The story follows childhood friends Cathy and Heathcliff, separated when Cathy marries Edgar Linton after an injury leads her to his luxurious estate, Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff, overhearing a partial conversation, leaves and returns years later wealthy and transformed, reigniting tensions. The cast includes Hong Chau as Nelly, Alison Oliver as Isabella, Shazad Latif as Edgar, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell. Original music is by Charli xcx.
Production designer Suzie Davies built key sets on soundstages, including a bruised, brutalist Wuthering Heights with muted colors, a rock courtyard, Gothic arches, rain rigs, and drainage systems to evoke constant nature. Inspired by an abandoned quarry in Northern Wales, the design mixes modern and traditional materials for discomfort. Thrushcross Grange features excessive symmetry, oversized windows and doors, polished plaster ceilings, and a real garden with trees and flowers. In Cathy's bedroom, walls are padded panels printed with high-resolution images of Margot Robbie's skin, arms, veins, and freckles, sourced from photos she provided. Davies noted, “We’ve slightly accentuated her veins.” Veins also appear printed in the carpet for an overhead dying scene. Hands motif recurs via casts in ceiling roses and shadow puppets. A 10-foot wine bottle tower in the kitchen reflects Mr. Earnshaw's decline, as directed by Fennell: “I just want to see a wave of bottles.” Surfaces throughout are moist and reflective, with rigged water drips to mimic sweat.
Hair and makeup head Sian Miller created over 35 hairstyles for Robbie. Heathcliff's arc shifts from “Jesus Elordi”—scruffy with dirt, fake blood, long hair, and a hand-laid beard tested against wind and rain—to “Darcy Elordi,” clean-shaven with sideburns and an 18-karat gold tooth prosthetic. Cathy's looks include “vagina braids,” a small plait evoking fissures and pop-up books; doll braids with ribbons at the Grange; victory rolls dubbed “horns” upon Heathcliff's return; and unwashed hair for her sepsis death scene, with skin like “wet concrete” and prosthetic leeches. Freckles, mapped via scans, fade as Cathy spends more time indoors. Isabella's style is childlike with frizzy, wild hair and headdresses.
The $80 million film earned $11 million from 3,682 theaters on February 14, 2026, topping newcomers like GOAT ($7.1 million) and Crime 101 ($3.9 million). Projections estimate $40 million domestic and international through the President's Day frame.
