‘Ebenezer’ Box Office Opening Falls Short of Expectations, but Johnny Depp’s Comeback Isn’t a Flop Yet

Johnny Depp spent years away from big studio releases, so the ‘Ebenezer‘ box office opening was always going to be read as a referendum on his comeback. Director Ti West’s dark spin on Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ is Depp’s first big screen appearance in 8 years, and he plays Ebenezer Scrooge in the Paramount release. Early numbers are now in, and they tell a more complicated story than either fans or skeptics expected.

The film arrived with a stacked supporting cast. Tramell Tillman plays the Ghost of Christmas Present and Ian McKellen plays Jacob Marley, with Andrea Riseborough as the Ghost of Christmas Past, plus Sam Claflin, Rupert Grint and Daisy Ridley rounding out the cast. Paramount kept costs in check, spending $38 million to produce the Dickens tale and paying Depp $5 million, with bonuses tied to box office performance.

🚨NOT A FLOP.. BUT HARDLY THE JOHNNY DEPP COMEBACK MANY EXPECTED With ~$6.7M Domestic, #Ebenezer is now heading for an opening ~$20M or less, below earlier projections 📊 Day-1 box office comps: 🆚Wonka 🇺🇸~55%❌|🇬🇧~50%❌ 🆚Beetlejuice 2 🇺🇸~55%❌|🇬🇧~45%❌ 🆚The House with a Clock in Its Walls 🇺🇸~85%❌|🇬🇧~285%✅ 🌍$30M global opening in play! Budget💸: $30M – Probable Profit👍

— Box Office Forecast 🎬 (@BoxOfficeFcst) November 14, 2026

On opening day, early estimates have ‘Ebenezer’ at roughly $6.7 million domestically. That puts it on a path to an opening weekend of around $20 million or less, which is below earlier projections. A $30 million global opening is reportedly in play.

Earlier forecasts had been higher. Box Office Pro had the film at $25 million to $35 million domestically before narrowing to $20 million to $25 million in its weekend preview. TheWrap put the film at around $20 million domestically, with a similar overseas launch. Final weekend numbers aren’t in yet, so the estimate could still move.

The early comparisons are mixed. Against ‘Wonka’ and ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, ‘Ebenezer’ is tracking at roughly 55% of their day-one totals in the US. Against ‘The House with a Clock in Its Walls’, it sits at about 85% domestically but around 285% in the UK.

In other words, this is not a runaway holiday hit, but it isn’t a disaster either. Variety noted the movie isn’t expected to ignite the box office the way ‘Michael’ did, so expectations were already measured.

The money math helps. Box Office Pro notes that the marketing budget is reportedly higher than the production budget, which makes it a safer bet for the studio. One forecast puts the worldwide total at around $135 million, against a break-even point of about $95 million.

Word of mouth could matter more than the opening. The hope is that word of mouth, particularly around Depp’s performance, will let ‘Ebenezer’ endure in theaters into December. First reactions have been mostly positive, and one advance screening review described a packed theater that laughed throughout and applauded at the end.

The next few weeks will decide the story. ‘Ebenezer’ has to hold up against the rest of the holiday slate, and a modest opening gives it room to build if audiences respond. It also faces competition in its first week, including ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’, which is forecast at $12 million to $17 million in its second weekend.

🚨NOT A FLOP.. BUT HARDLY THE JOHNNY DEPP COMEBACK MANY EXPECTED With ~$6.7M Domestic, #Ebenezer is now heading for an opening ~$20M or less, below earlier projections 📊 Day-1 box office comps: 🆚Wonka 🇺🇸~55%❌|🇬🇧~50%❌ 🆚Beetlejuice 2 🇺🇸~55%❌|🇬🇧~45%❌ 🆚The House with a Clock in Its Walls 🇺🇸~85%❌|🇬🇧~285%✅ 🌍$30M global opening in play! Budget💸: $30M – Probable Profit👍

— Box Office Forecast 🎬 (@BoxOfficeFcst) November 14, 2026

For Depp, the result is a mixed first step rather than a clean win or loss. A film that is projected to turn a profit but falls short of early tracking leaves his comeback open. The real answer will come from how the film holds on weekdays and through the Thanksgiving frame.

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