It seems the entire world is abuzz for Emerald Fennell’s take on “Wuthering Heights.” If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ve definitely heard of the ongoing online discourse surrounding it. And if you somehow haven’t seen the discourse, you’ve definitely heard one of Charli XCX’s original songs playing over the airwaves or online.
Opening #1 domestically with $38 million over the Presidents’ Day weekend and slightly overperforming with an $83 million global debut, it seems that mixed critics’ reviews haven’t stopped audiences from turning up at the theater for Fennell’s latest. Even more so, it seems the general public is pretty on board with Fennell’s book-inaccurate take on Emily BrontĂ«’s classic novel, sitting with a 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (contrasted with the 59% score from Critics).
While the early-year release and middling critical reception may take Fennell’s film out of contention for the above-the-line Oscar categories, it could still be considered in the technical categories. Even people on the negative end of the spectrum have a lot of love for the costume design, production design, cinematography, score, and original soundtrack album by Charli xcx. The 2025 film awards year may not be over yet, but the 2026 film year is just getting started.
The costume designs may not be historically accurate, but it’s certainly a beautiful spectacle. The costumes were designed by 2x Oscar winner Jacqueline Durran, who previously won for her work on “Anna Karenina” and “Little Women.” Most notably, Durran was last nominated for her instantly iconic work on “Barbie,” another Margot Robbie outing. The costumes themselves are exaggerated and vibrant, intentionally not attaching themselves to any time period and instead going for vibrancy and evoking big emotions. Still, it features big period-adjacent gowns in a large variety that will likely appeal to branch voters and other industry professionals throughout the year.
The Academy is no stranger to nominating films in Best Costume Design that weren’t universally beloved (sometimes not even massive hits), but instead just had beautiful costumes. Recent examples include “Gladiator II,” “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” “Cyrano,” and “Mary Queen of Scots.” Even so, it seems “Wuthering Heights” may even have baitier costumes than all of those listed.
The best comparison for “Wuthering Heights” may be the crop of live-action Disney movies, which were never beloved but were box-office hits, featuring beautiful princess gowns, and were nominated in the category. The 2017 remake of “Beauty and the Beast” notably also snuck into Best Production Design, which is another strong possibility for “Wuthering Heights.” The production design is equally impressive as the costumes, with ornate sets designed to evoke strong feelings in viewers and match the characters’ moods. Production designer Suzie Davis (who was just nominated for “Conclave” and “Mr. Turner” in the past) designed her sets as a “fever dream,” even creating a room meant to have the texture and look of Margot Robbie’s skin.
While the production design branch has gone for Best Picture nominees in open spots recently, they’re also no strangers to going for aggrandized work in more polarizing films, with “Wuthering Heights” fitting the trend of nominees like “Napoleon,” “Hail, Caesar!” or even “Passengers.” With the two branches’ tendencies to go for popular films with baity fashions and no other nominations, it’s quite likely that we could see “Wuthering Heights” stick around until the end of the year.
Additionally, below the line, “Wuthering Heights” has received great praise for Linus Sandgren’s artful cinematography. While the shots are gorgeous and definitely awards-worthy, making every shot seem like something between a dream, a nightmare, and a painting, it’s very likely Sandgren instead gets his flowers for “Dune: Part Three.” With “Dune” likely being a stronger contender for Best Picture (and the first two films getting nominated and the first one winning Best Cinematography), it seems like his work in “Wuthering Heights” will instead serve as a reminder for why he should be nominated for “Dune: Part Three.” Still, it’s possible that we see him receive a few stray nods here and even some “cinematographer of the year” mentions for his full body of work.
It’s also quite possible that we see Anthony Willis’s score appear on the shortlist, with “Saltburn” receiving a mention three years ago. While it wasn’t nominated, it’s clear the branch is receptive to his work on Fennell’s films. It helps that the music of “Wuthering Heights” is just as talked about as the film, even if not for its score.
The songs of “Wuthering Heights” is the final piece that could get the Academy’s attention, with the film inspiring an entire standalone album by Charli xcx that plays throughout. It’s a banner year for Charli, with her original film “The Moment” currently in theaters and many other projects she starred in (“I Want Your Sex,” “Erupcja,” “The Gallerist,” and “Sacrifice“) hitting theaters this year. After a year like this, the Academy may just want to award her.
It’s notable that, even though her previous film songs didn’t receive Academy attention, the tides have turned in her favor, with mainstream success. Following the breakout of “Brat,” she has become a beloved staple to both the general public and critics. Following her first Album of the Year nomination, “Wuthering Heights” is yet another of her critically acclaimed works, receiving critic and audience scores that far surpass those of the film. It’s also an album far more palatable to Academy tastes than her previous movie songs, featuring rich strings, a cinematic soundscape, and romantic lyricism.
It’s unknown which songs will be submitted, as the album has already spawned four singles and many more fan favorites, but it could very well get multiple shortlisted. The song with the most realistic shot is “Chains of Love,” which is both a fan/critic favorite, a single, and a chart success. They might also feel compelled to consider “House,” which features music legend John Cale of the Velvet Underground. However, the song’s neoclassical darkwave tendencies do not exactly fit the branch’s sensibilities.
Regardless of the varying opinions on the film’s content, the quality of the craft and the box-office success of “Wuthering Heights” give Jacqueline Durran and Suzie Davis a strong chance of receiving Oscar nominations, while Charli xcx could receive her first (and maybe even second), depending on how the rest of the year goes.
Have you seen “Wuthering Heights” yet? If so, what did you think? Do you believe it will be in contention for any Oscars this year? Please let us know in the comments section below and on Next Best Picture’s X account, click here here for the most recent tally of awards season winners, here for Next Best Picture’s precursor tracker, and here for their current Oscar predictions.
