Johnny Depp is back in a major studio film, and the first box office number is in. The Ebenezer box office collection began with $1.5 million from Thursday preview screenings, according to Deadline and Variety‘s box office reports, as the dark retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol opened in theatres in the United States and the United Kingdom on Friday, 13 November 2026.
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures — Official Trailer via YouTube
The previews started at 2 pm on Thursday, and the $1.5 million figure landed almost exactly where the trade trackers had pencilled it in. For a film carrying this much baggage — a comeback vehicle, a Christmas story opening in mid-November, and a studio’s first big greenlight under new leadership — simply hitting its tracking number counts as a steady start. The real test arrives with the weekend estimates.
The preview number in context
A $1.5 million preview haul is modest next to the holiday blockbusters it invites comparison with. Deadline noted that Red One posted $3.7 million in previews, while Illumination’s The Grinch earned $2.2 million — though both are imperfect comparisons for a spooky, PG-13 Christmas film opening on a Friday the 13th. What matters more is what the previews point to: presale tracking had the Ebenezer box office collection heading for a domestic opening weekend of $20 million to $23 million, with a similar amount expected from 63 international markets, for a worldwide start near $40 million.
Boxoffice Pro’s forecast panel put the film at No. 1 for the November 13–15 frame, with a $20 million to $25 million opening range across more than 3,500 North American locations. Paramount is hoping for at least $20 million domestically, which would be enough for a No. 1 debut. The studio expects about $20 million from overseas markets including Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Japan and Korea.
What the opening weekend could look like
The preview figure keeps every scenario on the table. If Friday holds up and families turn out over the weekend, the film can land at the top end of its $20 million to $25 million range. A softer Friday would still leave it in line for the No. 1 spot in a quiet frame, given that its main rival, David Leitch’s heist thriller How to Rob a Bank, managed only $900,000 in its own Thursday previews.
The Ebenezer box office collection will be watched closely not just for the weekend total, but for the legs that follow — a Christmas film opening in mid-November has weeks of holiday runway ahead of it, and it could easily become a go-to ticket through December.
Critics are split, audiences are warmer
The reviews have landed right down the middle. Ebenezer debuted on Rotten Tomatoes at around 50 percent, with 35 positive reviews against 34 negative in one count, and a Metacritic score of 47. Forbes reported a 53 percent critics’ score from 53 reviews, and Variety called the film spookily atmospheric but redundant. The audience response tells a different story: viewers gave it a 90 percent Rotten Tomatoes audience score and 4.5 stars on PostTrak. That gap between critics and crowds is exactly the kind of split that can keep a film alive through word of mouth, especially one aimed at families looking for a darker Christmas option.
The comeback stakes for Depp and Paramount
This is Johnny Depp’s first major studio lead in nearly eight years, and his first major Hollywood leading role since 2022. Paramount built the whole campaign around the return, sending Depp out in character as Scrooge at San Diego Comic-Con and leaning on his line from the first trailer — “It’s good to be back.” Variety reported a production budget of $38 million, strikingly low by the standards of Depp’s 2010s studio vehicles, with Depp taking a reported $5 million salary tied to performance-based bonuses.
The stakes go beyond one star. Deadline noted that Ebenezer is the first big greenlight from Paramount’s new leadership since last year’s Skydance merger, which makes its opening weekend a test of the new regime’s instincts as much as Depp’s drawing power. A $20 million-plus debut for the Ebenezer box office collection on a $38 million budget would be a defensible start; anything above tracking would be a statement.
The film itself
Directed by Ti West, the filmmaker behind the X trilogy of Pearl, X and MaXXXine, and written by Nathaniel Halpern, Ebenezer is a horror-tinged take on Dickens’ 1843 classic. Depp plays the miserly Scrooge, aged up under prosthetics, on the familiar supernatural journey through Christmas past, present and future. Ian McKellen plays Jacob Marley, Rupert Grint is Bob Cratchit, Daisy Ridley plays Emily Cratchit, Andrea Riseborough is the Ghost of Christmas Past, Tramell Tillman is the Ghost of Christmas Present, Sam Claflin plays Fred, Arthur Conti is the young Ebenezer and Ellie Bamber is Isabel Fezziwig. The film runs 116 minutes and carries a PG-13 rating.
The weekend race
Ebenezer does not have the frame entirely to itself. David Leitch’s How to Rob a Bank also opened this weekend, and its $900,000 in previews puts it well behind Depp’s film. Godzilla Minus Zero and The Cat in the Hat are in their second weekends behind them. With the No. 1 spot there for the taking, the question is not whether the Ebenezer box office collection tops the chart, but by how much — and whether audiences keep coming back once the opening weekend is over.
What to watch next
The full weekend estimates arrive on Sunday, and they will decide how this opening is remembered. A debut near $23 million would confirm the tracking and set the film up for a long holiday run. Anything softer would leave Paramount leaning on December legs and international markets, where Depp’s name still carries weight. Either way, the Ebenezer box office collection has started exactly on its tracking line — and for a comeback eight years in the making, that is a start worth noting.
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures — Official Trailer via YouTube
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Ebenezer earn in previews?
Ebenezer earned $1.5 million from Thursday preview screenings that began at 2 pm, according to Deadline and Variety.
What is the Ebenezer box office collection expected to be in its opening weekend?
Trade tracking points to a domestic opening of $20 million to $25 million, with about $20 million more from 63 international markets, for a worldwide start near $40 million.
Where is Ebenezer playing?
The film opened in theatres in the United States and the United Kingdom on 13 November 2026, in more than 3,500 North American locations.
Who stars in Ebenezer?
Johnny Depp plays Ebenezer Scrooge, with Ian McKellen as Jacob Marley, Rupert Grint as Bob Cratchit, Daisy Ridley as Emily Cratchit, Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman, Sam Claflin, Arthur Conti and Ellie Bamber in support. Ti West directs.
What are the reviews like?
Critics are split, with around 50 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 47, while audiences gave it 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and 4.5 stars on PostTrak.
What is the budget of Ebenezer?
Variety reported a production budget of $38 million, with Depp taking a reported $5 million salary.
