The recent release of the movie adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” that came out on February 12, 2026, starring Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, has quickly grabbed the attention of just about everyone. Based on the tragedy written by Emily Brontë in 1847, the film quickly stole the hearts of fans all across the country.
The movie is currently rated at a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, as some critics say the film “lacks real feeling,” according to critic Justin Chang with NPR.
On the contrary, with a movie budget of around $80 million, the movie has made back their entire budget in just 48 hours. The film has become the year’s most successful opening, with an almost strictly female audience.
One factor that drove many fans to the theater, whether they knew the story or not, was the casting. With a movie starring two A-list actors, it is sure to interest the audience and keep up the ticket purchases. With Elordi’s recent works, such as Nate in “Euphoria,” Frankenstein’s monster in “Frankenstein,” Felix in “Saltburn,” and several more famous movies and tv shows, he’s at the highest point in his career. He has been making film after film, and fans are loving to see it.
Robbie is also at a successful point in her career. She has recently played Barbie in “Barbie,” Harley Quinn in “Suicide Squad,” Naomi in the “Wolf of Wall Street,” and more famous characters over the past two decades. With a mix of her popularity and Jacob Elordi’s, many viewers are unaware of the story and have never even read the book. Although, this adaptation is inspiring many to learn the rest of the story, as the movie only covers about half of the book.
The soundtrack is undoubtedly a fan favorite portion of the film. With Charli XCX being the main artist of the music, people were excited to hear new music that was made for the movie. Some songs took off before the film was even released, trending on Tiktok and making fans even more excited.
Senior Meredyth Stimmell said, “I really like the soundtrack. I like what I’ve heard from Charli XCX but the song ‘House’ made me laugh because of the trend going around.”
The press for the movie has been receiving backlash, as the producers are attempting to romanticize the relationship between Robbie and Elordi. Fans are not happy with this, as Robbie is married and many say the chemistry between the actors is “forced.” They are seen holding hands at events and attempting to speak of each other in interviews in romantic contexts. Fans find it unnatural and feel they should leave any chemistry the actors have on the big screen.
“It’s definitely odd since Margot Robbie has a husband and Jacob Elordi has a girlfriend. I can see they’re doing it to excite people and make them want to see the movie, but I think there’s different ways to do that,” stated Stimmell.
An enticing portion of the film is the costuming. Although some feel they are not “historically accurate,” many appreciate the designs of the outfits, specifically the ones made for Catherine. Designed by Jacqueline Duran, the costumes represent high-fashion as well as period realism.
The emotions of the film express passion, devotion, obsession and intensity between the characters. Many fans enjoyed this portion of the film, while others expected more from the writers.
The movie ends half-way through the book, and fans were left somewhat frustrated that there was an unresolved ending. Others feel that the ending made perfect sense for the film, as it left multiple viewers with tears in their eyes.
There have been many adaptations of this story, but fans are expressive of their excited opinions on this specific one. With a mix of the actors, writers, budget, costumes and more, fans can’t help but see this movie as soon as they can.
