Johnny Depp is finally back in a major Hollywood movie for the first time since 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' in 2018. His latest project, Paramount's 'Ebenezer', is a darkly comedic adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol' and has already collected $1.5 million in box office previews.
Directed by Ti West, the film is expected to pull in $20 million in domestic markets and an additional $20 million overseas. Paramount poured $38 million into producing this fresh version of the classic Charles Dickens story, along with $50 million spent on marketing.
Back on the big stage
Depp took a step back from Hollywood during his domestic abuse trial involving his ex-wife Amber Heard. During that time, he worked on overseas and indie projects, including the 2020 drama 'Minamata', the 2023 feature 'Jeanne du Barry', and his 2024 directorial project 'Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness'.
Warner Bros. had previously replaced Depp with Mads Mikkelsen for 'The Secrets of Dumbledore', leaving 'Ebenezer' as his first major studio release in eight years.
Star-studded cast and competition
The cast of 'Ebenezer' features Rupert Grint playing Scrooge's worker Bob Cratchit, alongside Ian McKellen, Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, and Andrew Riseborough as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Tramell Tillman portrays Christmas Present, while Robert Strange appears as Christmas Yet to Come.
Meanwhile, Sony's action flick 'Ghost Soldier', featuring Jim Caviezel, collected $3.1 million through Tuesday previews, its Wednesday opening, and Thursday, with projections pointing to $6 million over its five-day opening run.
What happens next
Depp will next appear in the Lionsgate revenge thriller 'Day Drinker' alongside Madelyn Cline and Penelope Cruz, scheduled to arrive in cinemas in March.
