Jacob Elordi in tears after learning about Cathy in Wuthering Heights
Despite backlash for making key changes, Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights gets a verdict from audiences. Emily Brontë’s literary classic is once again adapted to the big screen, with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi paired as the leading duo, Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, whose destructive relationship becomes central to the story’s themes of love, jealousy, and revenge.
However, despite another iteration of Brontë’s story, 2026’s Wuthering Heights has been marred with controversy, ranging from casting choices to stark deviation from the novel, which fueled disapproval from literary purists. After a few days in theaters, moviegoers share their thoughts about the romance movie, and it’s mostly positive. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Robbie and Elordi’s Wuthering Heights holds a strong 84% score, which is based on over 250 verified ratings. This result is better than the critics’ score of 63%, which has been declining since the first reviews dropped earlier in the week. The updated Tomatometer means that 2026's Wuthering Heights is now the second-lowest-rated adaptation, just ahead of the 1992 version. If this score holds, Fennell’s visionary film ties for the second-highest audience score compared to past Wuthering Heights adaptations. While the 2026 iteration shares the ratings with the two-part series starring Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley, Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon’s Oscar-nominated version remains the best, with a one-point difference at 85%. In addition, it’s also the second-highest rated movie directed by Fennell, just behind Promising Young Woman’s 87%. It’s still a remarkable improvement over Saltburn, which has 79%. The audience reception for Wuthering Heights is significant, given that the new adaptation faced intense backlash ahead of its release. The movie’s criticism started with the casting of Elordi as Heathcliff, which sparked accusations of whitewashing one of the major roles. Some literary pundits and readers argue that the protagonist is a person of color, as the novel describes him as a “dark-skinned gipsy.” Elordi is a White actor from Australia. Fennell defended the casting choice, saying that he “looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff on the first book that I read.” Historically, Heathcliff has been prominently portrayed by White actors, including Hardy, Olivier, and Ralph Fiennes. Andrea Arnold's 2011 version was the rare exception, as James Howson became the first Black actor to portray the male lead. Furthermore, Wuthering Heights ignited increasing dissent following the release of the first trailer. After showcasing images that romanticized the story, readers were dismayed by the approach as it pivoted from the novel’s themes of violent revenge, toxic manipulation, and generational trauma. The director also defended this story direction, saying that “There’s an enormous amount of sado-masochism in this book,” which influenced “a kind of masochistic exercise.” Given the number of book changes, Fennell asserted that her Wuthering Heights is more of a reinterpretation than a direct adaptation, meaning that the version that she is showcasing is what she imagined: “All I could do was make a movie that made me feel the way the book made me feel, and therefore it just felt right to say it’s Wuthering Heights, and it isn’t.” Screen Rant Report: Subscribe and never miss what matters Dive into the world of movies and TV shows with Screen Rant, your source for news, reviews, and exclusive content. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Nevertheless, casual audiences generally favor the new adaptation, with Wuthering Heights reviews praising Robbie and Elordi’s performances and Fennell’s breathtaking production, alongside the audacious direction of a forbidden love story. Despite the divisiveness, box office projections estimate a huge opening weekend at around $50 million and $55 million. This is a very strong start for Warner Bros. since the budget was $80 million. It’s also expected to dominate the weekend against news releases, Crime 101 and GOAT. Brontë passed away from tuberculosis in 1848, just a year after she published her first and only novel, Wuthering Heights. The book was highly polarizing during its time, but it became a literary classic over time and influenced multiple TV and movie adaptations. Fennell is the latest filmmaker to tackle the incredible story, and it seems to have won over many audiences despite all the trials and tribulations. Wuthering Heights 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed R Drama Romance Release Date February 13, 2026 Runtime 136 Minutes Director Emerald Fennell Cast See All Writers Emerald Fennell, Emily Brontë Producers Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara Powered by Expand Collapse
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