February 2026 delivered one of the most competitive and varied months at the box office in recent memory. Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights claimed the top spot with $67.6 million in domestic February grosses, but the real story was how many different films found audiences across horror, animation, literary adaptation, and slasher franchises. From a self-released YouTube creator’s passion project grossing thirteen times its budget to a legacy horror franchise posting its best opening in thirty years, this was a month that rewarded ambition across the board.
The full ranking shakes out as follows: Wuthering Heights led domestically, followed by Sony’s animated GOAT at $61.6 million, Scream 7 with a franchise-record $64.1 million opening weekend, the overperforming horror hit Send Help at $93 million total, Markiplier’s Iron Lung as the ROI king on a $4 million budget, and Crime 101 as the month’s notable underperformer despite positive reviews. What made February 2026 particularly interesting was the way audiences spread their attention — no single film dominated the conversation for more than a week before something new seized the momentum. Below, we break down each film’s performance, the trends that shaped the month, and what these results tell us about where theatrical moviegoing is heading.
Table of Contents
- Which Film Actually Won February 2026 at the Box Office?
- The President’s Day Weekend Showdown That Defined the Month
- Horror’s Dominance in Early February
- Scream 7’s Late-Month Surge and What It Means for Legacy Franchises
- Crime 101 and the Risks of the Crowded Corridor
- The Holdover Effect — Avatar and Zootopia 2 Still Earning
- What February 2026 Tells Us About the Rest of the Year
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Which Film Actually Won February 2026 at the Box Office?
The answer depends on which metric you care about. Wuthering Heights earned the most during the calendar month of February with $67.6 million domestic, buoyed by a $35 million opening weekend that expanded to $37.5 million across the four-day President’s Day frame. Warner Bros. positioned the Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi period romance for Valentine’s Day audiences, and the gamble paid off in raw dollars. By mid-March, the film had accumulated roughly $227 million worldwide — a strong result for a literary adaptation, even if it finished slightly below the initial projections that some tracking services had floated. But GOAT, Sony’s animated feature starring Caleb McLaughlin, arguably told the more compelling story. It opened a day later on February 14 to $27.2 million for the standard weekend ($35.5 million across the four-day holiday), which looked modest next to Wuthering Heights.
Then something shifted. Strong word-of-mouth carried GOAT past Fennell’s film in their second weekend, a reversal that caught the industry off guard. By mid-March, GOAT had reached approximately $164 million worldwide on $61.6 million in February domestic grosses. If you’re measuring momentum rather than raw totals, the animated film was February’s real winner. And then there’s the profitability argument. Send Help, Sam Raimi’s R-rated horror-thriller for 20th Century Studios, earned roughly $93 million domestic against a $40 million budget — a return that makes studio accountants far happier than a $227 million worldwide gross on what was certainly a much larger production spend for Wuthering Heights. The lesson, as always: the “winner” depends entirely on the question you’re asking.
The President’s Day Weekend Showdown That Defined the Month
President’s Day weekend, spanning February 13 through 16, produced a three-way collision between Wuthering Heights, GOAT, and Amazon MGM’s Crime 101. This kind of direct competition is increasingly rare in a release calendar where studios typically try to give tentpoles breathing room. In this case, all three distributors — Warner Bros., Sony, and Amazon MGM — held firm on their dates, resulting in the most crowded premium weekend of the winter season. Wuthering Heights took the crown with its $35 million standard weekend ($37.5 million across four days), while GOAT landed in second with $27.2 million ($35.5 million for four days). Crime 101, despite starring Chris Hemsworth and receiving generally positive reviews, opened to a comparatively disappointing $14.3 million ($16 million for the extended frame). On a $90 million budget, that put Crime 101 in difficult territory immediately.
Its worldwide total of approximately $67 million by mid-March suggests it will struggle to reach profitability through theatrical alone, making it the cautionary tale of the month. However, the crowded weekend may not have been as cannibalistic as it first appeared. The three films targeted largely different demographics — period romance audiences, family animation viewers, and action-thriller fans. The real damage to Crime 101 may have had less to do with competition and more to do with audience fatigue around a certain type of mid-budget action film that feels destined for streaming regardless. If Amazon MGM had released it on a clear weekend, the ceiling might not have been much higher. The film simply lacked the cultural urgency that drove ticket sales for its competitors.
Horror’s Dominance in Early February
Before the Valentine’s corridor reshaped the conversation, horror owned the first half of February 2026. Two films — Send Help and Iron Lung — demonstrated that genre audiences remain among the most reliable theatrical constituencies, particularly when the material offers something beyond the formula. Send Help, directed by Sam Raimi in his return to horror roots, premiered on january 30 and held the number one spot for two consecutive weekends heading into February. Its $19 million-plus opening was solid but not spectacular; it was the film’s legs that told the real story. Against a $40 million budget, the roughly $93 million domestic total represents a massive win for 20th Century Studios and a reminder that Raimi’s name still carries weight with horror audiences who remember Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell.
Iron Lung was the even more improbable success. Self-released by YouTube creator Markiplier and based on the popular indie video game, the film earned $17.8 million from 3,015 theaters on its opening weekend. On a $4 million budget, its roughly $52 million worldwide total ($41 million domestic, $11 million international) makes it 2026’s most profitable film by return on investment — and it’s not particularly close. Critical reviews were mixed, but the fan turnout was enormous. Iron Lung even beat Send Help in per-screen admissions during its second weekend, a stat that underscores how concentrated and motivated the Markiplier fanbase proved to be. Whether this represents a repeatable model for creator-driven theatrical releases or a one-time phenomenon specific to Markiplier’s unique reach remains an open question.
Scream 7’s Late-Month Surge and What It Means for Legacy Franchises
Scream 7 arrived on February 27 with the weight of a franchise that had been producing diminishing returns, and promptly shattered every expectation. Its $64.1 million domestic opening weekend — $97.2 million worldwide — was the best debut in the series’ thirty-year history. The film crossed $100 million domestic within approximately two weeks and stood at around $178 million worldwide by mid-March, with $107.6 million domestic and $70.4 million from international markets. Several factors contributed to this result. It was the first Scream film released in IMAX, which added a premium pricing layer.
Paramount and Spyglass also benefited from positioning it at the tail end of February rather than in the crowded mid-month corridor, giving it a relatively clear runway. But the most significant factor was likely the creative reset — after mixed reception to Scream VI, the franchise apparently delivered something that reconnected with both longtime fans and newer audiences. The tradeoff worth noting: Scream 7’s massive opening came with the steeper second-weekend drops that tend to accompany horror sequels. The film’s trajectory will depend on whether it can maintain legs through March against incoming competition, or whether it follows the pattern of front-loaded franchise entries that burn bright and fade fast. At $178 million worldwide on what was likely a moderate production budget, it’s already a clear financial success regardless. But the difference between a $200 million finish and a $250 million finish will determine whether Paramount green-lights an eighth installment or lets the franchise rest.
Crime 101 and the Risks of the Crowded Corridor
Chris Hemsworth’s Crime 101 is the film that will generate the most post-mortem analysis from this month. Positive reviews, a recognizable star, a $90 million budget from Amazon MGM Studios — and a final worldwide gross of roughly $67 million that falls well short of what anyone involved would consider acceptable for theatrical performance. The temptation is to blame the President’s Day competition, but the problems likely run deeper. Amazon MGM is still establishing its theatrical identity, and audiences may not yet associate the studio banner with must-see opening weekends the way they do with legacy studios. Hemsworth, despite his Marvel-era fame, has struggled to open non-franchise films consistently — a pattern that extends back through several mid-budget action vehicles over the past few years.
Crime 101 is not an isolated data point but part of a trend that should concern anyone banking on post-MCU star power to sell original IP. The warning for studios is clear: a $90 million budget requires either bulletproof brand recognition or a marketing campaign that creates genuine cultural conversation. Crime 101 had neither. It was well-reviewed and well-made and still couldn’t find enough opening-weekend urgency to compete with a gothic romance and an animated film about a goat. In a theatrical landscape where audiences are increasingly selective about what justifies leaving the couch, “pretty good action movie with a famous lead” is no longer a sufficient proposition.
The Holdover Effect — Avatar and Zootopia 2 Still Earning
One underappreciated element of February 2026’s box office landscape was the continued presence of holdovers from earlier releases. Avatar: Fire and Ash and Zootopia 2, both released before February, continued earning within the top ten throughout the month.
These films served as a floor of reliable revenue for exhibitors even during the gaps between new releases, and their sustained performance speaks to the ongoing power of mega-franchise IP to generate repeat viewings and late-arriving audiences over extended windows. For theater owners navigating the feast-or-famine cycle of modern release schedules, having two Disney-era holdovers anchoring the bottom of the chart was a quiet but meaningful source of stability.
What February 2026 Tells Us About the Rest of the Year
February 2026 reinforced several dynamics that will shape the theatrical business through the rest of the year. First, audiences are willing to show up for variety — horror, animation, literary adaptation, and legacy franchise all found substantial audiences within the same month. The old concern that one genre would crowd out others appears overblown. Second, profitability and box office dominance are increasingly divergent metrics. Iron Lung will generate more profit than films that earned three times its gross. Send Help will be more valuable to its studio than Crime 101 despite a fraction of the budget.
Studios that chase gross over margin will continue to find themselves in difficult positions. The month also confirmed that the theatrical window remains viable for creator-driven and non-traditional releases, provided the fanbase exists and is motivated. Markiplier’s Iron Lung experiment may not be widely replicable, but it proved the concept. Meanwhile, Scream 7’s record debut suggests that franchise fatigue is not inevitable — it’s a symptom of creative stagnation, not audience disinterest. When a series delivers, audiences still respond. As the industry moves into the blockbuster-heavy spring and summer months, these February lessons about audience flexibility and the primacy of word-of-mouth should not be forgotten.
Conclusion
February 2026 was a month that rewarded range. Wuthering Heights earned the most money, GOAT had the best legs, Scream 7 broke franchise records, Send Help and Iron Lung proved that lower budgets can produce outsized returns, and Crime 101 served as a cautionary reminder that nothing about theatrical success is guaranteed. The combined domestic gross for the month’s top releases exceeded $300 million, a healthy showing that should quiet some of the perpetual doom-saying about theatrical viability.
For moviegoers, the takeaway is straightforward: February 2026 offered something for nearly every taste, and the films that connected most strongly were the ones that felt like they had a reason to exist beyond filling a release slot. For studios, the message is equally plain — audiences will show up, but only for films that earn their attention through genuine creative ambition or passionate fanbases. Budget size alone buys nothing. The rest of 2026 will test whether the industry has internalized that lesson.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the highest-grossing film of February 2026?
Wuthering Heights led with $67.6 million in domestic February grosses, reaching approximately $227 million worldwide by mid-March.
Did Scream 7 break any records?
Yes. Scream 7 set a thirty-year franchise record with a $64.1 million domestic opening weekend ($97.2 million worldwide), and it was the first Scream film released in IMAX. It crossed $100 million domestic within roughly two weeks.
How much did Iron Lung cost to make?
Iron Lung was produced on a $4 million budget and earned approximately $52 million worldwide, making it 2026’s most profitable film by return on investment. It was self-released by YouTube creator Markiplier.
Why did Crime 101 underperform?
Despite positive reviews and Chris Hemsworth’s star power, Crime 101 opened to just $14.3 million against a $90 million budget, finishing with roughly $67 million worldwide. It faced stiff competition from Wuthering Heights and GOAT on President’s Day weekend, and may have suffered from audiences not associating Amazon MGM with must-see theatrical events.
What genres performed best in February 2026?
Horror had a strong early-month showing with Send Help and Iron Lung, while the mid-month Valentine’s corridor favored romance (Wuthering Heights) and family animation (GOAT). The late-month slot went to the slasher franchise revival of Scream 7.
