Paramount's Depp film "Ebenezer" opens Nov 13 with ~$20m tracking and mixed reviews

Mixed · 2Paramount Pictures releases "Ebenezer", a new adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" starring Johnny Depp as Scrooge, in US theaters on 13 November 2026. 1 2 Mixed · 2It is directed by Ti West, known for the "X" horror films, and is his first big studio feature; the cast includes Ian McKellen, Daisy Ridley, Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough and Trammell Tillman. 1 2 Centre · 1According to Box Office Theory, cited by /Film, the film is expected to take $17 million to $24 million domestically on its opening weekend, against a reported production budget of $38 million. 1

Centre · 1Screen Rant, citing Box Office Theory, put the predicted opening weekend at about $22 million on 6 November, calling pre-sales promising. 3 Left · 1Variety, citing tracking, put the debut at about $20 million domestically plus about $20 million from 63 overseas markets, and reported the $38 million production budget, Depp's $5 million salary (a fraction of his earlier studio fees, with box-office bonuses) and marketing costs of around $50 million; Paramount declined to comment on budgets. 4 Left · 1IndieWire also calls the $38 million budget modest, saying it gives the film an easier route to theatrical profit than Depp's earlier mega-budget tentpoles, and that Paramount hopes for a long holiday run and strong overseas grosses. 2

Centre · 1/Film says competition looks manageable at first, with "Godzilla Minus Zero" topping the charts in the weekend before and "The Cat in the Hat" an unlikely direct threat, but "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" arrives on 20 November. 1 Centre · 1/Film notes the trailer sells the film as closer to horror, a genre it calls hot at the box office, and warns that bad reviews or word of mouth could undercut the projections. 1 Mixed · 2Both outlets set the film against Depp's career troubles: /Film says Depp has had no meaningful hit since 2018 and cites the 2015 flop "Mortdecai", while IndieWire recalls the exit from the "Fantastic Beasts" series after Depp lost a UK libel case against The Sun and the later US defamation trial against Amber Heard. 1 2

Left · 1IndieWire reports that in the US trial a jury sided with Depp on three defamation claims and ordered Heard to pay $10.35 million, while Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2 million on one counterclaim; an appeal ended with a settlement in which Heard agreed to pay $1 million. 2 Left · 1IndieWire reports that Paramount is promoting Depp's in-character performance rather than the actor personally: Depp appeared as Scrooge in New York's Bryant Park and at San Diego Comic-Con, and the film had a small 147-seat preview screening in New York, with a London premiere set for Monday. 2 Right · 1The London premiere took place on Monday 9 November at the Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square, where Depp, 63, posed with co-star Rupert Grint (Bob Cratchit) alongside Sir Ian McKellen's Marley, Tramell Tillman, Sam Claflin, Ellie Bamber and Minnie Driver, according to the Daily Mail. 5

Centre · 1Deadline reported that Depp arrived at the Leicester Square global premiere with director Ti West and cast including Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin, Tramell Tillman, Ellie Bamber and Robert Strong, that fans crammed the red-carpet enclosure mostly to see Depp, and that the public appeared "at least" to have moved on. 6 Centre · 1West told Deadline he and Depp bonded over a love of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and Alastair Sim's 1951 Scrooge, and that Depp approached him about the role; Depp confirmed the account. Deadline describes a gothic-horror feel, while Ellie Bamber called it "still very Christmassy with a hint of fright". 6 Right · 1The Daily Mail calls the premiere Depp's "UK comeback" and describes his 2022 US case as a "legal victory" in which a Virginia jury found Heard liable for defamation, and also as a "court showdown" in which he was accused of abusing her; it says major studios had appeared to have written him off apart from the French-language "Jeanne du Barry". 7 5

Right · 1The Daily Mail describes Ebenezer as Depp's first big-budget film in four years, whereas The Guardian and Screen Rant say first big studio film in about eight years; the Mail also says he stars with Penelope Cruz in "Day Drinker", repeats rumours of Pirates of the Caribbean talks with Jerry Bruckheimer, and quotes Depp's 2023 remark, "I've had about 17 comebacks, and I don't understand it because I didn't go anywhere." 5 Right · 1A second Daily Mail piece on the premiere centres on Minnie Driver, 56, in her first red carpet appearance since a car crash in France in August, which she said was not her fault. 7 Left · 1Paramount and Depp's representatives declined to comment to IndieWire; publicity veterans told the outlet the approach helps the star avoid addressing personal matters, and crisis manager Amber Melville-Brown of Withers said a "comeback" victory-lap campaign could revive the controversy. 2

Left · 1IndieWire notes the review embargo lifts on 12 November, hours before public screenings, which it calls almost always a sign of a studio with little confidence in critical response. 2 Left · 1IndieWire adds that a National Research Group study found Depp was the seventh-most cited name when people were asked which actors would motivate a cinema trip, that Lionsgate's "Day Drinker" is due in March, and that producer Jerry Bruckheimer has floated a sixth "Pirates of the Caribbean" film with Depp. 2 Left · 1The Guardian says Depp, 63, is making his first big studio film in eight years, and quotes Gower Street Analytics' Robert Mitchell calling the film "a bellwether for the industry as to Depp's bankability" and saying the marketing leans into Depp in a recognisable, larger-than-life mode. 8

Mixed · 2The Guardian, citing an August Puck report on a New Jersey test screening, says the film scored 80 out of 100 against a reported historical average of 72, with Depp scoring 86, but notes such figures are no guarantee of box office success; Screen Rant repeats the figures. 8 3 Left · 1Industry voices quoted by The Guardian differ on the effect of Depp's past: Paul Dergarabedian of Rentrak says reviews and marketing will matter more than feelings about Depp and that a link between controversy and box office is hard to establish, while Anglia Ruskin professor Tanya Horeck says the "comeback" framing ignores that Depp never disappeared and reflects how accused male stars are rehabilitated. 8 Centre · 1Screen Rant, in a piece on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, says a strong Ebenezer result would strengthen the case for Depp returning as Jack Sparrow; it quotes producer Jerry Bruckheimer saying in August that Disney is talking to Depp and a screenplay is in the works, and Depp telling Entertainment Tonight he would want to give the franchise a better ending. 3

Centre · 2First critic reactions, posted ahead of the 13 November release, were largely positive: JoBlo.com called Depp's performance layered and Phil Roberts called him "magnetic", while Collider also cited FilmSpeak's Tom Chatalbash calling it a "wickedly fun holiday treat". 9 10 Centre · 1Not all reactions were warm: Collider quotes Ren Vieira saying "nothing’s distinct or unique about this version", MaryAnn Johanson calling it "Utterly superfluous" and Robert Ortiz calling it forgettable and boring. Collider adds that Depp stars in Marc Webb's "Day Drinker" on 26 March 2027 with Madelyn Cline, Penélope Cruz and Manu Ríos, and dates his absence from major Hollywood production to 2018's "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald". 10 Mixed · 2Radio Times and The Independent also report the early reactions: Radio Times says they "veered mostly positive" while cautioning this does not necessarily predict later reviews, with Scott Menzel praising West's treatment of the story as "a true ghost story", while The Independent calls them "mixed", noting praise for West's handling of the horror elements and Depp's performance and Clarence Moye's "pleasant surprise", against Ren Vieira's complaint that it is "just Depp doing cooky Scrooge". Both say full reviews are still embargoed. 11 12

Mixed · 2The Independent says the film, whose budget was "nearly $40m", has had a robust Paramount marketing push and is seen as Depp's first mainstream venture since the 2022 court battle, and that many view it as a bellwether for his public appeal; Radio Times calls it his first major Hollywood role since the 2022 trial, noting he has appeared in some smaller films. 12 11 Left · 1At the London premiere, an Associated Press interviewer asked Depp about being back in Hollywood; according to The Independent he replied that the difference between a Hollywood and a French film was that "it was a bit of a vacation. Which was fine". The Independent also notes Depp lost a 2020 libel case against The Sun's publisher, in which a judge ruled its "wife beater" description substantially true, and that he maintains Heard's abuse allegations are false. 12 Mixed · 2Accounts of the 2022 US verdict differ in detail: Radio Times says Depp was awarded $10 million compensatory and $5 million punitive damages and Heard $2 million, while The Independent says he won "more than $10m" and that Heard was awarded $2m. 11 12

Centre · 1In an interview with Den of Geek, West said he pitched the film to the studio as "hard-PG", drew on Hammer horror aesthetics and the George C. Scott version, and wanted to add "gray area" to Scrooge's world; he said the bed-swallowing scene echoing Depp's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" debut was in the script before Depp was cast, and Depp told him "we gotta do it". Den of Geek gives the release date as Friday 16 November, which conflicts with the 13 November date given elsewhere. 13 Left · 1Variety also quoted cinema owners and an audience researcher who said Depp's past was not putting audiences off: Regal CEO Eduardo Acuna said he was optimistic, Classic Cinemas CEO Chris Johnson called the public "pretty forgiving", and Screen Engine/ASI's Kevin Goetz said "Audiences don't care"; operators suggested the result would reflect the film's quality more than Depp's appeal. It added that Disney is weighing the potential backlash before greenlighting another "Pirates of the Caribbean", according to sources. 4 Right · 1On 11 November the Daily Mail ran a pay-cut story relaying Variety's figures under the headline "Depp forced to take massive pay cut"; it too calls Ebenezer his first major film in eight years, which differs from its own earlier four-year description. 14

Left · 3The review embargo lifted on 12 November, and full reviews from the left-leaning outlets and the centre were mostly lukewarm to negative. Variety called it a "spookily atmospheric but redundant" retread; IndieWire called Depp "absolutely insufferable"; The Independent called his Scrooge "deadeningly hammy"; The Guardian called the film "decent enough"; /Film said Depp "neither helps nor hurts" a "passionless retelling"; and Screen Rant called it "lukewarm". 15 16 17 Left · 3The Hollywood Reporter was more positive, calling it "a creepily effective comeback vehicle" that, while breaking no new ground, "fulfills its ostensible goal of restoring the actor to A-list status". Critics generally praised the production design and the ghosts, notably Andrea Riseborough's Ghost of Christmas Past, and noted the film is PG-13 and horror-tinged rather than a full horror film. 18 15 19 Left · 3Several reviews tied the film to Depp's off-screen history: IndieWire asked what "cancel culture" is "if not a shackled delusion" visiting a pariah and called the performance "another thing that he ought to be sorry for"; The Independent called it Hollywood's "welcome back" and a bellwether whose result "will be decided not by moral arbitration, but the forces of commerce"; /Film said the film felt like a proving ground after his "cancellation". 16 19 17

Mixed · 2By the eve of release Ebenezer held about 50-51% on Rotten Tomatoes; Screen Rant, in a piece headlined as a franchise record, says 51% is the third-lowest for any adaptation of "A Christmas Carol", above only two animated films (40% and 13%). 20 21 Left · 1The Hollywood Reporter's roundup called the reception "chilly" and "very split": it quoted the Boston Globe calling Depp "easily the worst Scrooge I've ever seen" and Vulture calling him "the worst part" of a film that is "pretty good", against The Times UK's view that he is "eminently redeemable" and the Daily Beast's that he "sturdily balances" Scrooge's nastiness, silliness and kindness; it noted the supporting cast was largely praised. 22 Mixed · 3The A.V. Club's headline says Depp "ruins" the film; its review praises West's gothic atmosphere and effects but calls Depp's sincerity "dinner-theater ham" and his redemption act less charming given his "louche defiance", and says Tramell Tillman supplies the film's best ham. Radio Times faults an "over-egged" Depp but calls the film "visually stunning", and the New York Post says Depp relaxes after an overly extreme start but the film around him is "mediocre" and "far from a holiday classic". 23 24 25

Centre · 1Deadline's review, by Pete Hammond, is warmly positive: it says Depp "blissfully" goes all Scrooge, finds more humanity in the character than earlier versions, and sees Depp, like Scrooge, "seeing the light again", though it doubts the world needed another Dickens adaptation and says Paramount's marketing overstates how new the film is. 26 Left · 1On the eve of release, The Hollywood Reporter said Paramount, which greenlit the film shortly after David Ellison's Skydance Media acquired it two years ago, was opening it in more than 3,500 North American locations with a projected $20 million domestic and $20 million international debut, likely No. 1 against David Leitch's "How to Rob a Bank", which is eyeing a high-single-digit launch on a $40 million budget. 21 Left · 1The Hollywood Reporter's analysis quotes Stanford's Adrian Daub saying support for Depp owed more to nostalgia for his early-2000s roles than to the case's facts and that non-North American audiences seem readier to move on, and biographer Brian J. Robb calling the in-character publicity "a clever — if obvious — strategy" that shields Depp from questions; author Ernest Owens said Depp seems not to think he did anything wrong. It says Paramount has been pleased with data suggesting audiences want Depp back, and that Depp's "a bit of a vacation" reply to the Associated Press was followed by a publicist whisking him away. 21