Barbie herself is trapped in another dollhouse—and this time, it’s intentional.
Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ reimagines Emily Brontë’s classic with Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, opening February 13, 2026 in 3,600 theaters nationwide. Warner Bros. Pictures is projecting a $50-55 million four-day opening weekend despite reviews calling it everything from “sexy and ravishing” to “an absolute mess”.
The New York Post praised the film as “a sexy, funny, ravishing and dark revision” that preserves Heathcliff’s “alarming obsession, emotional damage, and sadistic tendencies”. But Mashable notes Fennell’s Barbie metaphor is deliberate: “Robbie, adorned in exquisitely designed skirts and dresses in striking reds and whites, and tightly corseted, resembles a fashion doll”.
Fast Facts:
- Premiere: January 28, 2026 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
- Theatrical Release: February 13, 2026 (Valentine’s Day eve)
- Distribution Deal: $80 million (beat Netflix’s $150 million streaming bid)
- Box Office Projection: $50-55 million opening weekend
- Soundtrack: Original songs by Charli XCX
- IMAX Release: Yes
In the film, Catherine’s brother-in-law gifts her “a doll modeled after her likeness, complete with a sizable dollhouse that mirrors their shared home Thrushcross Grange”. While Catherine has “attained all the luxuries she desired, she now feels confined, a beautiful toy in a dollhouse,” Mashable explains.
Fennell’s adaptation includes controversial creative choices: a montage of explicit intimate scenes between the leads, a public execution intercut with sexual imagery, and Elordi’s Heathcliff “demeaning bride Isabella through pet play”. The director has “streamlined the story to concentrate on the romance” by “severing the narrative and discarding numerous characters”.
Jacob Elordi revealed he was cast via text: “I was going to take a break for a while, and then Emerald just very simply texted me, and you can’t run from that text”.
Why It Matters
Warner Bros. secured distribution by beating Netflix’s $150 million streaming offer with a lower $80 million bid—winning only because they guaranteed theatrical release and a major marketing push. The casting sparked months of backlash, with Margot Robbie defending Elordi as “our generation’s Daniel Day-Lewis” against critics who said he was “too Caucasian” for Heathcliff, a character many interpret as a person of color. Whether audiences agree with Fennell’s provocative vision will determine if this becomes another ‘Saltburn’ cultural moment or a divisive misfire.
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