Posted on 11/15/2026 10:29:58 AM PST by Red Badger
Johnny Depp returned to the top of box office charts as “Ebenezer,” his new take on “A Christmas Carol,” collected a decent $19 million from 3,535 North American theaters in its opening weekend.
Overseas, the PG-13 adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic has generated $23 million from 63 markets for a global start of $42 million.
“Ebenezer” is notable as Depp’s first major movie role in eight years, since 2018’s “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” His career in Hollywood began to unravel in 2020 after allegations of domestic abuse leveled by his ex-wife Amber Heard (which he has denied) resulted in two costly, high-profile defamation trials. Although his acting roles mostly dried up, a study conducted by the National Research Group in April 2026 indicated that Depp remained a popular figure across the globe. Participants ranked him among the top 10 actors — ahead of Tom Hanks and behind Margot Robbie — who “would make you most interested in seeing a new movie in a cinema in the future.”
So how did that enthusiasm translate to “Ebenezer” in its first weekend of release? Analysts say tickets didn’t signal a resounding embrace amid Depp’s return to studio fare. However, the movie delivered a nice boost to theater owners ahead of Thanksgiving and looks to provide a sizable return on investment for Paramount. Given the uncertainty around Depp, the studio cautiously spent $38 million to produce the film. Depp was paid $5 million, a fraction of what he’s earned on prior studio movies, with the promise of bonuses tied to box office performance.
“This is a solid opening for a Christmas-themed movie,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “Johnny Depp remains a major celebrity around the world, and director Ti West brings some edge.”
Directed by West, known for the “X” horror trilogy, “Ebenezer” spins the oft-told tale of the cold-hearted businessman known as Scrooge as he’s visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Though critics were harsh (it holds a 53% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences awarded the movie a positive “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. Ticket buyers were mostly older white women; audiences were 52% female and 58% Caucasian while 59% were aged 30 or older. The movie performed best in the south, per the studio. Around 50% of moviegoers cited Depp as a reason for attending, making him the film’s top attendance driver, according to PostTrak data.
In the wake of “Ebenezer,” box office watchers believe the town will be more willing to work with Depp. His next film is Lionsgate’s 2027 action thriller “Day Drinker,” co-starring Penélope Cruz. Meanwhile Disney has been contemplating another “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. Depp has said he’s open to returning to the franchise as the chaotic Captain Jack Sparrow, but he noted “the only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note.”
“With the No. 1 film in the marketplace, and his image and likeness splashed all over the marketing material, Johnny Depp’s Hollywood exile is effectively over,” says Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “This benchmark tells the industry that Depp is once again castable, marketable and capable of opening a studio movie. Captain Jack Sparrow — it’s time to set sail again.”
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Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
He’s weird, but I always liked him. He overdid the Captain Jack Sparrow thing though. Once was enough.
Wife and I saw it Friday. We thought it was very good. It certain scenes Depp actually looked like George C. Scott.
Bias from Variety. Depp did not just “deny” the claims of abuse, he sued and won $15 million, but lost a $2mm counter claim, Later he settled out of court the whole mess for $1mm which he donated to charity.
“• Johnny Depp’s Claim: The jury found Amber Heard liable on all three counts of defamation regarding her 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (the punitive damages were later reduced to $350,000 due to Virginia state limits, making his total award about $10.35 million).
• Amber Heard’s Counterclaim: The jury found Depp liable on one of three counterclaims through a statement made by his former attorney, Adam Waldman, which was published in the Daily Mail. Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages and $0 in punitive damages.
Final Settlement (December 2022)
• Rather than moving forward with appeals and a potential retrial, the two actors reached a settlement in December 2022.
• Heard agreed to pay Depp $1 million, which Depp subsequently donated in equal shares ($200,000 each) to five charities
Is this just a slow week in the popcorn sales business?
Supposedly Amber Heard left a turd on Depp’s bed.
Absolutely he’s weird. However, he is a good actor and I want to see this movie. The whole Amber heard thing was a dumpster fire.
I Play Rocky is a great movie.
I think the consensus is that it will make more than it did to produce. And that’s saying something in today’s world. they used this to see if Johnny Depp has any future in Hollywood and apparently he does.
The movie business Will be more lucrative between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Or at least the major Studios hope so.
And Amber moved out of the country and changed her name.
Ebenezer Scrooge a cold-hearted, wealthy miser who despises Christmas.
A democrat role model.
I heard Amber
has gone...
and changed her name.
Rotten Tomatoes SCANDAL! Ebeneezer BOMBED by Critics! Johnny Depp SOARS in New Film!
And there you have it, ladies and germs.
The strike price for Woke Hollywood Being Able to Ignore a White Guy’s Gulity Conviction for Wife-Beating (in the UK at least) is $18MM.
And there you have it, ladies and germs.
The strike price for Woke Hollywood Being Able to Ignore a White Guy’s Gulity Conviction for Wife-Beating (in the UK at least) is $19MM.
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