Yorkshire’s Moors Score a Blockbuster Win Thanks to Wuthering Heights

Emerald Fennell’s steamy new adaptation of Wuthering Heights just hit theaters — and the real winner might be the rugged Yorkshire landscape that steals every outdoor scene.

There’s a moment in every great sports movie where the underdog steps into the spotlight and the crowd goes wild. That’s exactly what’s happening right now in the Yorkshire Dales, except the underdog isn’t a scrappy fighter or a rookie quarterback. It’s a stretch of windswept English moorland that most Americans couldn’t find on a map. Wuthering Heights, the new period romance from Oscar-winning director Emerald Fennell, premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 28, 2026, and opened wide in theaters on February 13 — just in time for Valentine’s Day weekend. Margot Robbie plays Catherine Earnshaw. Jacob Elordi is Heathcliff. The chemistry between them has been the talk of every entertainment outlet for weeks, but the third star of this film? The moors themselves.

I’ve hiked in some brutal conditions — 40 degrees Fahrenheit, sideways rain, mud up to my ankles — and I loved every second of it. So when I saw those sweeping shots of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale on the big screen, I felt it in my bones. The production shot exteriors across the Yorkshire Dales early in 2025, primarily around the village of Low Row, and the landscape does the heavy lifting in scene after scene. One of the most recognizable landmarks in the film is Old Gang Smelt Mill, a scheduled monument built in 1846 that once processed lead ore. Sarah Whiteley, the park authority’s senior historic environment officer, was on site every day of filming there and called it “possibly one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had in my working life.”

Now here’s where it gets interesting from a business standpoint. The concept of “set-jetting” — traveling to a destination because you saw it in a movie — is no longer just a buzzword. It’s a full-contact sport. Jake Dinsdale, who runs Simonstone Hall Hotel near Hawes, says the proof is already walking through his front door. Robbie, Elordi, and the rest of the cast stayed at his 20-room hotel for just over two weeks during location filming. “They ate with us every night, they stayed with us over the weekends,” Dinsdale said. Robbie apparently loved the area so much she’s already returned for a personal visit since production wrapped. And now? Guests are pouring in from Canada, Germany, and the States. That’s the power of a Hollywood blockbuster.

And make no mistake, this is a blockbuster. Warner Bros. won the distribution rights for $80 million, outbidding Netflix, which reportedly offered $150 million but couldn’t guarantee the theatrical release Fennell and Robbie wanted. The film earned $3 million in Thursday previews alone and pulled in $11 million on its opening Friday from 3,682 North American theaters. Projections point to a four-day domestic haul of $33 to $40 million over the President’s Day holiday weekend, with another $40 million expected internationally — putting the global opening around $80 million. Those are serious numbers for an R-rated literary adaptation. Critics are split — the film sits at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes — but audiences, especially women over 25, are showing up in force. Seventy-six percent of the opening-day audience was female.

The tourism machinery in North Yorkshire was ready for this moment. Visit North Yorkshire has plastered its website with Wuthering Heights content, using the tagline “where longing meets North Yorkshire’s rugged heights” and offering a two-day itinerary that traces the footsteps of the cast and crew. Visit England has done the same. Online searches for “West Yorkshire” have surged since the film’s release. Dinsdale sees it as a game-changer for the region. “We’ve got such diversity here, diversity of landscape, diversity of weather,” he said. “Suddenly those things that were once a negative have become a positive.” He’s right. Bad weather is a feature, not a bug, when your moors need to look brooding and cinematic.

The place most deeply connected to the source material is Haworth, near Bradford, where Emily Brontë lived and wrote the original 1847 novel. The village has been a literary pilgrimage site for decades, and the Brontë Parsonage Museum — the Brontë family’s former home — stands ready for the next wave. Rebecca Yorke, the museum’s director, expects the film to bring a whole new generation through the doors. “We’re hoping that they will be inspired to find out more about the Brontës, read Wuthering Heights, and come see where it was written,” she said. Yorke attended the London premiere and described the evening as emotional, especially seeing Yorkshire’s landscape on the big screen.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority helped the film crew access remote locations but has also issued a word of caution. Most of the filming areas sit on private land, and the higher moorland can be treacherous for unprepared visitors. “Great care should be taken before attempting to visit these areas,” the park warned. As someone who’s twisted an ankle on a trail more times than I’d like to admit, I can vouch for that advice. Pack proper boots. Check the weather. Respect the land.

What Fennell has done — whether you love the film’s provocative, bodice-ripping approach or think it misses the novel’s gothic soul — is put a spotlight on a corner of England that rarely gets this kind of global attention. The Charli XCX soundtrack, the Valentine’s Day marketing blitz, the IMAX release — it’s all designed to make Wuthering Heights feel like an event. And for the Yorkshire Dales, that event could translate into years of increased foot traffic, hotel bookings, and international recognition. Sometimes the best play isn’t on the field. It’s on the moors.