TL;DR — the direct answer: Johnny Depp is back in cinemas today. Ebenezer, Paramount's dark reimagining of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, opens in more than 3,500 North American theatres on Friday, 13 November — Depp's first major studio film since 2018, and the clearest test yet of whether audiences still want him as a leading man. Trackers expect a $20–25 million opening weekend, enough to top the chart, but the real verdict will be whether the film holds through the holidays.
What happened: Ebenezer stars Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge, with Sam Claflin as his nephew Fred, in a gothic take on the Dickens classic directed by Ti West, the horror filmmaker behind Pearl and X. Paramount is rolling out the red carpet for its star, kicking off the holiday family-movie season two weeks before Thanksgiving. Depp has not appeared in a major studio film since 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and he reportedly took a salary cut to star in the film. The production budget is reported at about $38 million — and by several accounts, including Variety's, the marketing budget is higher than the actual budget, making it a safer bet for the studio.
Why it's trending: This is a comeback story as much as a film opening. Depp spent years away from Hollywood's major studios, working in European independent films, and Ebenezer is his first big-studio lead in eight years. The question the industry is asking is simple: does the public still want to see him? The early signs are mixed. Industry trackers put the three-day opening at $20–25 million, with some forecasts as low as $19 million, and the film's dark tone has divided early reactions. But the opening is only the first test — a Christmas film lives or dies on its December legs, and Ti West's take is designed to play through the holidays.
Background / context: The most relevant comparisons are not kind to the genre: the best-known modern versions of the tale are 1988's satirical Scrooged with Bill Murray, which took $60.3 million in its full run, and the 2009 motion-capture version. Depp's Scrooge is a darker, stranger figure than either. The weekend's competition is stiff: Godzilla Minus Zero, which opened last weekend to $30.6 million — the biggest opening ever for a foreign-language live-action film in North America — is expected to take $12–17 million in its second weekend, and the animated The Cat in the Hat should add $10–15 million. David Leitch's heist comedy How to Rob a Bank, starring Nicholas Hoult and Zoë Kravitz, also opens this weekend, tracking at around $10 million.
What we know / what's unconfirmed: Confirmed: the 13 November release date, the 3,500-plus theatre count, the $20–25 million tracking range, the $38 million reported budget, and Depp's eight-year absence from major studio films. Unconfirmed: the actual opening number — forecasts from different trackers disagree by several million, and none of them is a final-week figure — and the longer question of whether audiences embrace the film's dark tone. The opening weekend will answer the first question on Monday morning; the second will take the whole holiday season.
What happens next: The domestic opening-weekend gross will be read as a direct verdict on Depp's drawing power, and on Paramount's bet that a gothic Christmas film can anchor the holiday season. If Ebenezer lands at the top of its range and holds well into December, expect the studio to push it hard through Christmas — and expect other studios to take note. If it fades fast, the comeback conversation moves on to Depp's next project instead. Either way, the numbers on Monday will say more than any review has.
Q: What is Ebenezer?
A: Paramount's dark reimagining of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, directed by horror filmmaker Ti West, with Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge and Sam Claflin as his nephew Fred.
Q: When does Ebenezer open?
A: Friday, 13 November 2026, in more than 3,500 theatres across the US and Canada, kicking off the holiday family-movie season two weeks before Thanksgiving.
Q: How much is it expected to make?
A: Trackers expect a $20–25 million domestic opening weekend, with some forecasts as low as $19 million — enough to top the weekend chart ahead of Godzilla Minus Zero and The Cat in the Hat.
Q: Why is this film a big deal for Johnny Depp?
A: It is his first major studio film since 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and his first major-studio lead role in eight years — a direct test of whether audiences still want him as a leading man.
Q: What is the competition this weekend?
A: Godzilla Minus Zero in its second weekend ($12–17 million expected), the animated The Cat in the Hat ($10–15 million), and the heist comedy How to Rob a Bank, tracking at around $10 million.
Sources: Box Office Pro — Weekend Box Office Preview: Johnny Depp Attempts a Comeback with Ebenezer, Engage / Optimize — What will Ebenezer's 2026 opening weekend gross be?, and Todd M. Thatcher — November 2026 box office predictions.
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