‘Wuthering Heights’ Dominates Global Box Office With $82 Million, ‘GOAT’ Scores $47.6 Million Worldwide

 "Wuthering Heights" was number one at the global box office, making $82 million, which is the best opening for a movie in the world this year. The ticket sales include $42 million from international markets in 76 countries, and $40 million from the first four days of its release in the U.S. Rival studios think that the U.S. sales might end up closer to $35 million by Monday, which is President's Day. Warner Bros. made the movie, which cost $80 million to produce. Directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, it's a daring and passionate remake of Emily Brontë's classic novel. The story is about a dangerous love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff in 18th century England.

Since some reviews and word-of-mouth have been mixed and the domestic sales were a bit lower than expected, "Wuthering Heights" might need help from international audiences to make up for its budget.

 This is because movie theater owners usually get about half of the money from ticket sales. The top international markets were the United Kingdom with $10.3 million, Italy with $4.4 million, and Australia with $4.3 million. Warner Bros. hasn't shared any numbers from Asian countries yet, and the movie hasn't opened in China and Japan yet.

Second place went to "GOAT," a Sony animated comedy about a young sports hero.

 It made $47.6 million in its opening, including $15.6 million from 42 international areas. The movie, which is like a mix between basketball and something else, hasn't opened in 40% of overseas places, including China, Australia, Germany, and South Korea. Where it is playing, the biggest earnings came from the U.K. with $4.8 million, then Mexico with $1.8 million, and Spain with $1.2 million.

"GOAT" cost $80 million to make, and Sony hopes it will be as long-lasting as other recent animated movies like "Migration" and "The Wild Robot."

 Both of those earned a lot more money in the end. It helps that there aren't many new movies for families to watch since "Zootopia 2" came out around Thanksgiving. The next big movie for kids is Pixar's "Hoppers," which is coming out in March.

"Crime 101," a crime thriller starring Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, came in third with $12 million from 60 countries.

 It made $15 million in the U.S. over the weekend, and is expected to reach $17.7 million by Monday, making its total global earnings $29.7 million in four days. The top countries for "Crime 101" were the U.K. with $2 million, Australia with $1.4 million, and Saudi Arabia with $790,000.

Though it's a good start for an R-rated movie aimed at adults, "Crime 101" cost $90 million to produce, not including marketing.

 That means it needs to do well for a long time to make back its cost. Amazon MGM, which is new to theatrical releases, thinks showing movies in theaters helps make them more popular before they come out on streaming. Directed by Bart Layton, "Crime 101" stars Hemsworth as a clever thief planning big heists across Los Angeles.