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Sales of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights have surged dramatically in the United Kingdom as audiences prepare for the highly anticipated new film adaptation directed by Emerald Fennell.
Figures from Penguin Classics UK show that the number of copies sold in January 2026 jumped nearly five‑fold compared with the same month last year, rising from around 1,875 to over 10,600 — a 469% increase fueled by excitement around the upcoming release.
Publishers also reported a significant sales boost following the release of the first teaser trailer last September, with an increase of more than 130% through the end of 2025.
Penguin Classics’ publishing director remarked that the novel’s dark intensity and tragic love story seem to resonate with a contemporary appetite for deeply emotional, angsty literature, making it stand out even among other classic titles experiencing renewed interest.
The surge comes ahead of the film’s global premiere on 13 February, which stars Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Fennell’s adaptation — described as a bold and visceral reimagining of the gothic romance — has sparked lively discussion online, with early reactions praising its emotional sweep and cinematic ambition while also drawing scrutiny from some fans for its modern stylistic choices and departures from strict textual fidelity.
As anticipation builds toward Valentine’s Day weekend — a key box‑office moment — the boost in book sales reflects how adaptations continue to drive renewed engagement with classic literature, connecting new audiences with Brontë’s haunting tale of passion, revenge, and the enduring power of love.
In July 2024, filmmaker Emerald Fennell announced that she would write and direct an adaptation of the 1847 novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. In September 2024, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi were cast as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, respectively, with Robbie also producing under her label LuckyChap Entertainment alongside financer MRC. Robbie previously produced Fennell’s Promising Young Woman (2020) and Saltburn (2023), the latter of which starred Elordi.
A bidding war in October led Netflix to bid $150 million for the distribution rights. Warner Bros. Pictures, with whom LuckyChap has a first-look deal and made Barbie (2023), ultimately won the rights with a significantly lower offer of $80 million after granting Fennell and Robbie’s wishes for the film to have a theatrical release and a significant marketing campaign.
Elordi had been contemplating taking a hiatus from acting before Fennell offered him the lead role without having to audition. The decision to cast a white actor as the racially ambiguous Heathcliff, described as resembling a “dark-skinned gipsy” or “Lascar” in the novel, sparked controversy. In November 2024, Hong Chau, Alison Oliver (who starred in Saltburn), and Shazad Latif joined the cast. In March 2025, Charlotte Mellington, Owen Cooper, and Vy Nguyen (all three making their film debuts) were announced as playing young Catherine, Heathcliff, and Nelly. In September 2025, Fennell defended her decision to cast Elordi, stating that he “looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff on the first book that I read.”
