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Johnny Depp is back at No. 1. Ebenezer, Paramount’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol directed by Ti West, opened on November 13 and earned US$6.7 million on its first day from 3,535 cinemas. Paramount estimates a US$20 million opening weekend in the US and about US$40 million worldwide. That is enough to top the US box office, though it is less than half of Depp’s last big studio debut.
“Ebenezer” also trended in Indonesia this weekend, mainly among Depp’s fans.
The numbers in context
The film cost a reported US$38 million to make, with about US$50 million spent on marketing. Audiences are much happier than critics. Reviews were mixed, but moviegoers gave it an A- CinemaScore and 4.5 out of 5 on PostTrak. Half of those surveyed said Depp was the main reason they bought a ticket.
It faces tough competition. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens on November 20, followed by Disney’s Hexed, and in December Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three. As a Christmas film, Ebenezer should keep playing through the holidays, but it will need good word of mouth to last.
My view: a comeback measured in fans, not headlines
Depp has spent most of the past few years in independent and European films, including Jeanne du Barry (2023) and his own directing project Modì (2024), after his widely publicised legal battles with Amber Heard. Ebenezer was Paramount’s bet that his fanbase would follow him back into a mainstream studio film. On that measure, the bet has worked. The audience exists, it is loyal, and it rated the film highly.
What it does not show yet is whether Depp can draw audiences beyond that loyal base. A US$20 million opening is respectable for a mid-budget period film, but it is not Pirates of the Caribbean territory, and the gap between audience and critic reactions suggests a film that pleases fans more than it wins over new viewers.
The more interesting choice may be Ti West. He made his name with small, stylish horror films such as X, Pearl and MaXXXine. Giving him Dickens’ ghost story is an inspired idea, because A Christmas Carol has always been partly a horror story. Whether he pushed it far enough is something viewers can decide for themselves when it reaches Indonesian cinemas.
For Hollywood, the result is a reminder that star power still exists, but it now works more like a fan community than a guarantee of mass appeal.
Sources: TheWrap via Yahoo; Screen Rant; World of Reel; Deadline.
