Johnny Depp’s ‘Ebenezer’ Tops the Box Office, but Its Opening Hides a Bittersweet Surprise

Every comeback needs a big stage, and the ‘Ebenezer‘ box office debut was always going to be watched like a prize fight. Paramount’s take on ‘A Christmas Carol’ became Johnny Depp’s first major film role in eight years, directed by Ti West, known for the horror trilogy ‘X.’ The cast around him includes Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Tramell Tillman and Ian McKellen.

Heading into the weekend, expectations were moderate. Tracking pointed to $20 million to $23 million, which would have been Depp’s first trip to No. 1 in 8 years. Critics were reserved, with the film sitting at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, while moviegoers awarded it an A- CinemaScore.

The final tally landed on the wrong side of the line, if only barely. ‘Ebenezer’ collected $19 million from 3,535 North American theaters in its opening weekend. Overseas it added another $23 million from 63 international markets, bringing its global opening to $42 million.

The audience breakdown explains a lot. Half of the crowd, 50%, came because they were fans of the 3x Oscar-nominated star, which means this was not a case of Depp’s draw fading. There was also no rush-out factor, because it’s a 183-year-old story that everybody already knows, and 34% of ticket buyers came for the subject-matter plot, while just 8% said it was part of a franchise they loved.

That context matters because the comparison point is brutal. Depp’s last theatrical release, 2018’s ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,’ sold $253.7 million in opening weekend tickets globally, including $62.2 million domestically. A gothic holiday ghost story with a modest price tag simply plays in a different league.

Analysts are split. Box office analyst David A. Gross called it a solid opening for a Christmas-themed movie, noting that Depp remains a major celebrity around the world and that West brings some edge. The global opening also exceeds the film’s production budget.

Others were less generous. One outlet called the $19 million debut disappointing and among the lowest openings of Depp’s career. The budget sits at $38 million, but marketing costs and theater splits still need to be accounted for, so the early earnings don’t yet guarantee profitability.

The wider market offers a little cushion. Overall, the box office is 20% ahead of the same point last year, and exhibitors are optimistic about the rest of November. Paramount also kicked off the holiday family movie derby two weeks before Thanksgiving, giving ‘Ebenezer’ a runway as December approaches.

Think you know his story? Think again. Johnny Depp is Ebenezer Scrooge. The spirits arrive in the official new trailer for EBENEZER – only in theatres November 13. https://t.co/cb6p9JBq9C

— Ebenezer (@ebenezermovie) October 1, 2026

The stakes extend beyond one Dickens adaptation. Depp’s next acting gig, ‘Day Drinker,’ comes from Lionsgate and director Marc Webb, and stars Depp, Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline in a crime thriller set in the jetset world of yachting. If it performs similarly when it comes out this spring, Depp will likely be seen once again as a very reliable box office draw.

There’s a bigger franchise question hanging in the background too. Disney film chiefs Alan Bergman and David Greenbaum reportedly want to greenlight another ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie, with Depp if possible. A film that opens at No. 1 and turns out half its audience for the star is, at minimum, a useful data point for that conversation.

It also fits what early signals suggested. A report in Puck suggested that ‘Ebenezer’ test audiences, and women over 35 in particular, were embracing Depp on screen. The opening weekend suggests that loyalty is real, even if it didn’t translate into a blockbuster number.

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