‘Wuthering Heights’: Emerald Fennell Turned Down A Huge Netflix Deal Because She Wants A Theatrical Release

It’s obvious that Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is going to be a big film. The feature is set to star Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, two of the biggest stars in the world. Not only that, but Fennell is coming off of “Saltburn,” which was a huge hit on streaming. So, it makes sense that when “Wuthering Heights” was looking for a studio, everyone came out of the woodwork to try to make a deal. According to a report, Fennell didn’t take the biggest deal offered. She took one nearly half as large. But there was a method to her madness.

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A report from Variety said that Emerald Fennell was offered $150 million by Netflix to acquire the rights to “Wuthering Heights.” However, the director turned down the offer, instead going with a Warner Bros. deal for a reported $80 million. Why did she turn down such a massive offer? She wanted a theatrical release. 

We all know that Netflix isn’t really willing to budge on its theatrical release plans. Basically, the streaming service is willing to give a film a couple of weeks in select theaters before it arrives on the streamer. And that’s really only there so that the film can qualify for awards. We have yet to see Netflix really give a film a proper, full-on theatrical release. And Fennell and the rest of the “Wuthering Heights” crew want that theatrical release. 

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It’s really interesting when you consider the other bit of news that has been going around regarding Netflix and a theatrical release. Remember, it’s been reported that Netflix is in the early stages of a discussion with Greta Gerwig to find a way for her “Chronicles of Narnia” to get an IMAX release. It’s unclear if that will end up with Gerwig getting a huge release for the film or if Netflix will release the movie on select IMAX screens for a couple of weeks. If it’s the latter, then it’s business as usual. However, if Netflix gives Gerwig a true theatrical release strategy, things could be changing. 

What might happen then is you see other filmmakers asking for that sort of deal. It’ll be interesting to see if Netflix would continue to bend the rules a little for bigger filmmakers. It’ll also be interesting to see if more filmmakers turn down big money to go with a more traditional studio. It does feel as if there are filmmakers who value the theatrical release a lot more than money.