Lace and red ribbons flutter in the constant breeze of Northern England’s moors in Kill 2 Birds’ opening for HBO Max’s presentation of theatrical film, Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the iconic Catherine and Heathcliff.

The movie presentation concept is a throwback to a time when top movies premiering on cable TV were kind of a big deal. Today, theatrical movies often premiere first on streaming but it’s nice that HBO Max is upholding the tradition. 

HBO Max also partnered with Kill 2 Birds on openings for two other recent movie premieres on the service: Minecraft, starring Jack Black, and James Gunn’s latest version of Superman. 

The creative brief for the opening – like the classic Emily Brontë novel on which Emerald Fennel’s quirky retelling is based – drew heavily from the stormy Yorkshire moors. Rather than just placing the HBO Max brand into the world of the movie, Kill 2 Birds built the sequence around the idea of the HBO mark, like Catherine herself, slowly becoming undone.

Kill 2 Birds rendered the logo in white lace, a reference to the film’s campaign imagery. Red ribbons slip away across the letterforms in slow, deliberate movement, as though the logo itself is being undressed. The gesture nods to Catherine who wears a red ribbon woven through her braid in the film.

As the sequence progresses, fog gathers and rain begins to fall. By the final frame, the image feels saturated -- heavy, restrained and emotionally loaded.

Wuthering Heights, which earned $241 million at the global box office, premiered on HBO Max on May 2.