‘Wuthering Heights’ Falls For $11 Million on Opening Day

The Friday box office fell in love with Emerald Fennell’s sexy literary drama “Wuthering Heights,” which won out over fellow newcomers “GOAT” and “Crime 101” to claim the No. 1 spot.

Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic gothic romance earned $11 million from 3,682 North American theaters on Friday. Domestic grosses could go as high as $40 million through the extended President’s Day frame. If the international box office can also reach projections of $40 million, it would mark a very strong start for “Wuthering Heights,” which carries a $80 million price tag.

“Wuthering Heights” follows the forbidden love between Margot Robbie’s 19th-century socialite, Cathy, and Jacob Elordi’s hunky high-society outcast, Heathcliff, who returns to Wuthering Heights to fight for Cathy’s heart after a prolonged absence. Other cast members include Hong Chau, Alison Oliver, Shazad Latif, Martin Clunes and Ewan Mitchell. The film features original music from Charli xcx.

Second place went to Sony’s new animated feature “GOAT.” Produced by NBA superstar Stephen Curry, the family film about professional roarball, an animal derivative of basketball, made $7.1 million domestically on Friday from 3,863 theaters. The film should pull in $25 million through the holiday frame.

“Stranger Things” star Caleb McLaughlin headlines the voice cast as Will Harris, a scrawny young goat who dreams of becoming a roarball star, despite the sport’s dominant roster of larger animals. Other cast members include Curry, Gabrielle Union, Nick Kroll, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour and Jennifer Lewis. Tyree Dillihay and Adam Rosette serve as co-directors.

Amazon MGM’s “Crime 101” landed at No. 3 on Friday with $3.9 million domestically from 3,161 locations. The heist thriller, which boasts an all-star line-up of Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan and Halle Berry, should snatch up $13.8 million through the extended opening. From director Bart Layton, “Crime 101” follows a detective trying to stop a career criminal from scoring big with one last heist.

Rounding out the top five on Friday were Sam Raimi’s “Send Help” and Angel Studio’s “Solo Mio.” “Send Help” landed No. 4, earning $1.8 million as it enters its third weekend at the domestic box office. The survival thriller, from Disney and 20th Century, should earn an estimated $9.5 million through President’s Day, bringing its domestic total to around $48 million. “Solo Mio” took fifth and made $1.4 million on its second Friday in theaters. Its North American tally should climb to about $18 million by Monday.