Emerald Fennell Wants ‘Wuthering Heights’ to “Become This Generation’s Titanic”

Emerald Fennell has described her upcoming adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” as “sexual” and “primal.” The first trailer, released a few months ago, certainly hinted at that. Still, Fennell’s ambitions for the film extend far beyond that.

In an interview with Vogue, it was revealed that Fennell told Robbie she wants “Wuthering Heights” to become “this generation’s Titanic.”

I want this to be this generation’s Titanic. I went to the cinema to watch “Romeo & Juliet” eight times and I was on the ground crying when I wasn’t allowed to go back for a ninth. I want it to be that […] The hope is for women to go see it with 10 of their female friends. And I think it’s going to be an amazing date movie.

Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Fennell’s high expectations should take into account how “Wuthering Heights,” at its essence, is about two toxic people who are emotionally destructive, selfish, and bad. That doesn’t exactly scream four-quadrant, group-date movie energy.

Furthermore, a non-IP literary adaptation cracking the billion-dollar mark at the box office is almost impossible these days. This film would be lucky to hit the $200M mark.

“Titanic” wasn’t just a sweeping love story—it’s anchored in real history and carried by a sense of massive scale and spectacle. The emotion, the disaster, the grandeur—it all feels almost Shakespearean in scope. By contrast, this upcoming “Wuthering Heights” seems aimed at a much smaller niche.

Sure, with each new trailer, the conversation around “Wuthering Heights” keeps growing—both positively and negatively. People are split on it, and nobody’s even seen it yet. Then again, this may be entirely an online phenomenon. Is there a large enough audience outside this bubble that actually knows this film exists?

Warner Bros. has set a February 14, 2026, Valentine’s Day release for “Wuthering Heights.” It’ll be interesting to see how this one lands with moviegoers.