Jacob Elordi’s Controversial New Movie Losing Its #1 Status To An Animated Underdog In Week 2

by

Wuthering Heights won’t climb higher than GOAT this weekend.

Emerald Fennell’s new film adaptation of Wuthering Heights sparked debate, particularly regarding the casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff instead of an actor of color. It opened over Valentine’s Day weekend alongside the animated sports film GOAT from Sony Pictures Animation. Wuthering Heights topped the box office with $32.8 million – the best opening weekend of any domestic film this year – but GOAT wasn’t far behind, earning $27.2 million.

This weekend, Wuthering Heights and GOAT are expected to switch positions at the box office. As of Saturday morning, Wuthering Heights is forecast to earn $14.7 million over the three-day weekend, while GOAT is projected to take the lead with $15.7 million, according to Deadline.

The shift in rankings is because Wuthering Heights is seeing a 55% decrease in viewers this week, while GOAT’s viewership is only down 42%. This isn’t surprising; animated films generally maintain their audience well. Wuthering Heights, being a romance released around Valentine’s Day, likely benefited from date-night screenings during its opening weekend, which naturally inflated its initial numbers.

Both films cost around $80 million to make, meaning they each need to earn about $200 million in theaters to become profitable. However, they are both on track to reach that goal. So far, Wuthering Heights has already made $60.5 million in the United States, and over $120 million globally.

The faith-based movie I Can Only Imagine 2 is expected to open at number three this weekend, earning between $8 and $9 million. It’s the only new film being shown in over 2,000 theaters.

This is a considerable decrease from the $17.1 million opening weekend of the first I Can Only Imagine film in 2018. However, the original movie was very successful, earning $86 million despite only costing $7 million to make.

The sequel cost $18 million to make, which is still a modest amount by today’s standards. Despite the film earning less with each passing week, it has a good chance of becoming profitable before its theatrical run ends.

Thanks to films like Wuthering Heights, GOAT, and I Can Only Imagine 2, domestic box office earnings reached $75.4 million this weekend. This total is only 3% lower than the same weekend last year, when Captain America: Brave New World was in its second week of release.

Like ScreenRant’s box office reports? Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for exclusive insights, predictions, and analysis – just be sure to select “Box Office” in your email preferences!

Read More

2026-02-21 20:02