Who set the tone at the global box office this weekend? Two very different holdovers—Emerald Fennell’s gothic romance Wuthering Heights and Sony’s original animated feature GOAT—delivered a split performance that highlights how genre, geography and release strategy are reshaping studio results.
Wuthering Heights leaned hard on international audiences while GOAT continued to build a steady global footprint. Meanwhile, regional counterprogramming—from an Amazon MGM heist picture to a Chinese New Year comedy—moved seats in specific markets, underscoring how local tastes and timing can shift exhibitor revenue.
Wuthering Heights: stronger abroad than at home
Emerald Fennell’s R-rated adaptation collected roughly $26.3 million across 76 territories over the measured weekend, pushing its overseas running total to about $91.7 million and its global cume to near $151.7 million. Those numbers sit against an estimated production budget of $80 million.
The film’s strength is clearly geographic. The United Kingdom led foreign returns (~$22.5M), followed by Italy (~$9.4M) and Australia (~$8.3M). Domestic receipts lagged relative to some expectations, creating a two-speed performance that tempers the studio’s theatrical upside.
That split changes the promotional playbook. For mid‑budget adult dramas, studios increasingly treat international markets as the primary engines of growth—shifting release windows, dialing up localized campaigns and allocating screens where occupancy is steady. From a profitability standpoint, theatrical alone may not be enough to break even; streaming deals, TV licensing and home‑entertainment sales will be pivotal to recoup costs.
Expect the studio to decide between doubling down on territories where the film is resonating or reinventing its domestic messaging—new trailers, altered creative positioning, or a tighter release window—to broaden appeal. Exhibitors, in turn, will reallocate screen counts toward markets that show durable demand and trim underperforming domestic engagements.
GOAT: an animated original finds its footing
Sony’s GOAT continued to grow internationally, adding about $17 million from 51 territories and lifting its overseas total to roughly $44 million. With a domestic tally near $58 million, the global gross is about $102.3 million. The top overseas market was the United Kingdom (~$14.5M), followed by Mexico (~$3.4M) and France (~$3M). The film is playing on roughly 8,800 screens across 42 markets.
Localized partnerships, targeted promotional tie‑ins and festival exposure appear to be paying off—turning initial curiosity into repeat business in several regions. The studio now faces a familiar choice: press the advantage overseas or refine the domestic campaign to close the gap. Key indicators to watch are week‑to‑week holds and per‑screen averages; if those remain strong, the film’s international progress looks sustainable rather than frontloaded.
Several important windows are still to come—Germany (Feb. 19), Australia (Mar. 12), China (Mar. 14), Saudi Arabia (Apr. 23) and South Korea (April)—and those openings will go a long way toward clarifying the title’s long‑term trajectory. With a reported production budget near $80 million, returns from those territories will be decisive for profitability.
Other international movements: Crime 101, China hits and studio milestones
Amazon MGM’s heist thriller Crime 101 added about $6.2 million from 75 markets in its follow‑up weekend, taking its international total to roughly $21.6 million and its worldwide running sum to near $46.3 million. That sits well below the film’s reported $90 million production cost—an unwelcome reminder that mid‑budget adult fare needs sustained theatrical legs or lucrative downstream deals to reach break‑even.
Wuthering Heights leaned hard on international audiences while GOAT continued to build a steady global footprint. Meanwhile, regional counterprogramming—from an Amazon MGM heist picture to a Chinese New Year comedy—moved seats in specific markets, underscoring how local tastes and timing can shift exhibitor revenue.0
Wuthering Heights leaned hard on international audiences while GOAT continued to build a steady global footprint. Meanwhile, regional counterprogramming—from an Amazon MGM heist picture to a Chinese New Year comedy—moved seats in specific markets, underscoring how local tastes and timing can shift exhibitor revenue.1
Wuthering Heights leaned hard on international audiences while GOAT continued to build a steady global footprint. Meanwhile, regional counterprogramming—from an Amazon MGM heist picture to a Chinese New Year comedy—moved seats in specific markets, underscoring how local tastes and timing can shift exhibitor revenue.2
Wuthering Heights leaned hard on international audiences while GOAT continued to build a steady global footprint. Meanwhile, regional counterprogramming—from an Amazon MGM heist picture to a Chinese New Year comedy—moved seats in specific markets, underscoring how local tastes and timing can shift exhibitor revenue.3