Emerald Fennell’s steamy literary drama ‘Wuthering Heights’ has claimed the top spot at the US box office on Friday, outpacing fellow newcomers ‘GOAT’ and ‘Crime 101’.
The adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic gothic romance earned $11 million from 3,682 North American theatres on its opening day. Analysts predict domestic grosses could reach as high as $40 million over the extended President’s Day weekend. International projections of $40 million would mark a strong start for the $80 million production.
The film centres on the forbidden love between 19th-century socialite Cathy, played by Margot Robbie, and high-society outcast Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, who returns to Wuthering Heights to win back Cathy’s heart. The cast also includes Hong Chau, Alison Oliver, Shazad Latif, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell. The soundtrack features original music from Charli XCX.
In second place, Sony’s animated feature GOAT, produced by NBA superstar Stephen Curry, earned $7.1 million domestically from 3,863 theatres. The family film, which follows a scrawny young goat aspiring to play ‘roarball’, a fictional animal version of basketball, is expected to reach $25 million over the holiday period. Voice performances include Caleb McLaughlin, Curry, Gabrielle Union, Nick Kroll, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour and Jennifer Lewis. The film is co-directed by Tyree Dillihay and Adam Rosette.
Amazon MGM’s heist thriller Crime 101 debuted at No. 3 with $3.9 million from 3,161 theatres. The film, directed by Bart Layton, stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan and Halle Berry. The story follows a detective attempting to prevent a career criminal from completing one final heist. Estimates suggest it could reach $13.8 million over the extended weekend.
Rounding out the top five were Sam Raimi’s survival thriller ‘Send Help’, which earned $1.8 million in its third weekend and is projected to total around $48 million domestically and Angel Studio’s Solo Mio, taking fifth with $1.4 million on its second Friday, expected to reach $18 million by Monday.
