Is the ‘Wuthering Heights’ Press Tour Messy Performance Art or Marketing Rage Bait?

Stand-up comedian Chris Fleming recently joked that while other people are worried about the Olympics coming to Los Angeles in 2028, he’s more concerned about the imminent release of Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” — in theaters from Warner Bros. on February 13. 

“I don’t think the infrastructure we have in place can withstand the release of ‘Wuthering Heights,’” Fleming deadpanned in a viral clip, suggesting the box office would soon collapse under the weight of “pent-up erotic readers” demanding a twisted take on a classic period piece. 

It’s a timely joke (with a regrettably short shelf life for Fleming) that nevertheless feels like a strong thesis amid growing excitement and even brewing resentment for Fennell’s bold film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s historic novel. A revisionist reframing of the tragic 1847 romance, the new “Wuthering Heights” has been a lightning rod for controversy from the start. 

Allegations of racism emerged months ago when Fennell chose Jacob Elordi (a white actor) as her Heathcliff (an explicitly dark-skinned character). Now, amid an increasingly messy global press tour, that debate and several others are being hashed out — on and off the red carpet. Between Fennell, Elordi, and star/producer Margot Robbie, the result is a stunning media frenzy caught somewhere between a U.K. royal engagement and the “It Ends with Us” PR crisis. 

Emerald Fennell at the “Wuthering Heights” premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los AngelesMichael Buckner/Variety

That clash could be the point. After making her fiery feature debut with the rape-revenge thriller “Promising Young Woman,” Fennell sharpened her public reputation as a provocateur during the promotion of her sophomore feature, “Saltburn.” The writer/director had a notoriously nonchalant interview style that made some fans question Fennell’s core understanding of the script she wrote, while others pointed out that paradox as proof her buzz-building had worked. 

Now, cross-multiplying that evasive, unapologetic persona with the ever-confrontational literary audience, Fennell is betting big on “Wuthering Heights” to sustain enough conversation to become a genuine, money-making hit. With an estimated $80 million budget, it’s LuckyChap’s biggest commercial gamble on Fennell to date — and whether this wild press tour is a real mistake or just clever marketing, the film’s rollout is officially high risk, high reward.  

A Classic Emily Brontë Book That Still Pisses People Off 

It’s not every day a 179-year-old ghost story lights up Instagram and TikTok, but “Wuthering Heights” has long been a volatile, obsession-worthy tale that readers struggle to get over. With Robbie name-dropping the mega-viral “A Court of Thorns and Roses” fantasy series (by Sarah J. Maas) in a recent interview for Bustle, the film’s producers know the literary-minded audience they want for the opening weekend. But will the so-called “book girlies” turn on Fennell before then? 

“Wuthering Heights” readership is famously intense and unusually willing to litigate not just the original text’s meaning but the fidelity and feeling of every film and TV adaptation since. Way before production on Fennell’s movie even started, fans were taking to social media to argue about the casting, tone, and potential changes to the book. That speculation has only accelerated as the director, Robbie, and Elordi have promoted the project on the world stage. 

Fennell has been cagey about what she is and isn’t adapting, insisting she isn’t making “Wuthering Heights” so much as “a version of it.” Even the stylized quotation marks that frame the title on the film’s official posters have been parsed for deeper messaging, effectively forcing baseless fan theories and more serious-minded cultural critique into an online scrum that’s as overwhelming as the baroque fashion we’ve already seen the trio wear on several red carpets. 

Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie at the ‘Wuthering Heights’ world premiere in Los AngelesAraya Doheny Photography/Variety

Reading Fennell as a Provocateur for “Saltburn”

Promoting a novel about the pitfalls of material wealth through obscene displays of luxury sounds a bit like hosting a “Great Gatsby” party at Mar-a-Lago. But there’s precedent for this type of chaos. In 2023, following Fennell’s Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay with “Promising Young Woman”, “Saltburn” arrived as a sneaky eat-the-rich saga dripping with irony. 

Starring Elordi and Barry Keoghan, Fennell’s dark comedy about class resentment and covetous destruction was sold on the promise of erotic excess. The infamous grave scene. The even more infamous bathtub scene. These moments weren’t just shocking; they were explosive choices that demanded explanation — particularly from a female filmmaker. And yet, Fennell broadly refused clarity, forcing viewers to decide for themselves what the strange script meant and if they liked it.

In her freshman feature, fronted by the straight-shooting Carey Mulligan) Fennell was more open to dissecting “Promising Young Woman” as a feminist allegory. But “Saltburn” saw the writer/director lean further into interpretive slipperiness and double down on her willingness to be disliked. That ambiguity didn’t hurt Fennell’s film but fueled its reputation. Teaming with LuckyChap again, Fennell seems to be taking that same approach with “Wuthering Heights” for a precarious, scaled-up version of a beloved story some people already feel they own.

Literary Fandom: Controlled PR Burn or Scandal Accelerant? 

Brontë purists don’t have to love Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” for the movie to make its money back, but the idea that literary audiences don’t matter to an adaptation once it’s released misunderstands how fandoms still impact theaters today. From Harry Potter nostalgics to “Fifty Shades” converts, reading communities can be just as argumentative and influential as video gamers. Talking about a movie, good or bad, is free marketing, and Fennell seems to understand better than most that enraging potential ticket-holders is a promotional strategy. 

When questions surfaced about Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff and the novel’s racial implications, Fennell’s response, rooted in her childhood perception, felt clumsy. The critique is valid, especially at a time when white supremacy threatens so much of Western culture. But the fallout from that incident demonstrates how outrage compounds — often in unexpected ways. Now, Fennell’s loyalty to the book isn’t just about plot; it’s about identity politics and authorship.

Margot Robbie at the ‘Wuthering Heights’ world premiere in Los AngelesAraya Doheny Photography/Variety

That same week, Robbie attended the world premiere of “Wuthering Heights” in Los Angeles, wearing a necklace associated with Elizabeth Taylor. It was gifted to the actress by Richard Burton (he played Heathcliff in 1958), but it’s widely known as the Taj Mahal diamond because of its historic ties to India. When Robbie told a reporter the necklace “was Elizabeth Taylor’s” in a viral clip, a fly-by fashion fact became a heated debate about British colonialism and white-washed glamour. No one invented the outrage because the conditions were already there. 

Unlikable Characters = Unapologetic Press Strategy 

There’s discomfort in realizing that Fennell’s interpretation is ironically faithful to the feel of the original material. In the novel, Catherine (Robbie) and Heathcliff (Elordi) are cruel, obsessive, and corrosive lovers whose attraction is more warning than inspiration. Introducing the pair through a press tour that intoxicates but doesn’t welcome fans in feels, if nothing else, honest.

There’s a punk-rock feminist streak to the film’s promotional campaign so far. High fashion. Impenetrable confidence. An attitude that suggests women directors don’t need your approval — because they are the ones in charge. With Charli XCX contributing the soundtrack, and both Robbie and Elordi leaning into “method dressing” for the red carpet, the extravagant rollout for Fennell’s interpretation mirrors the book’s warped fixation on prioritizing wealth over happiness. 

Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in “Wuthering Heights” (2026)©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

The luxury reads as alienating, but maybe it was always supposed to. For the Los Angeles world premiere, Robbie wore special rings (designed by CeCe Fein-Hughes) with Elordi, and the pair then did an interview about them in British Vogue. When “Wuthering Heights” debuted in London, Robbie wore a one-of-a-kind gown (designed by Dilara Findikoglu) modeled on Charlotte Brontë’s Victorian mourning bracelet for her late sister. In a moment of profound economic anxiety, jewelry myth-making and couture symbolism can feel out of step. But the “Barbie” and Nate from “Euphoria” know better than most that celebrities can sell tickets. 

Great Expectations, but No Official Reviews Yet

Audiences bring their own baggage to movie theaters, and Fennell’s gambling that their fascination with her work will outpace any resentment they feel for how she treats the “Wuthering Heights” text. That bet extends to timing with Warner Bros. courting lonely hearts and contrarians alike with a Galentine’s Day release that feels sort of off… but also not at all. 

Emerald Fennell, on set, for “Wuthering Heights” (2026)©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

When Robbie joked to Fandango that Fennell wanted viewers to “cry so hard they vomit” after seeing the film, she conveyed both caution and promise. Repeat viewings aren’t guaranteed — but conversation almost certainly is. Professional reviews will set the tone as they always do. But the movie has already gone viral without them. Not only is social media overflowing with speculation, dissecting everything from elements of the trailer to the stability of Robbie’s real-life marriage, but the press tour has also become its own sordid mystery framed by infinite perspectives. 

So, is it messy performance art or genius rage bait? The answer is yes. Fennell’s refusal to explain herself turns maybe-manufactured marketing into an extension of the source material theme. In an industry that rarely grants filmmakers enough artistic latitude, the spectacle of a woman’s creativity spiraling out of control becomes a statement unto itself. 

From Warner Bros. Pictures, “Wuthering Heights” is in theaters February 13.