Johnny Depp returns to a major studio release this month in Ebenezer, a new take on Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, and early box office projections put its opening weekend at 17 million to 24 million dollars in North America. Ebenezer opens in theaters on November 13, 2026, from Paramount, and the forecast comes from Box Office Theory, a site that tracks ticket sales. The film cost a reported 38 million dollars to produce, so an opening in that range would cover roughly half the budget in its first three days.
Depp plays Scrooge in Ebenezer, a miser who is visited by ghosts and forced to face his past, present and future. Ti West directs the film. West is known for the horror films X and The Innkeepers, and his hiring gives a familiar Christmas story a director with a record in unsettling, slow-burn horror. The film is Depp's first major studio movie in years, after a period in which he worked mainly on smaller films outside the Hollywood studio system.
The timing gives Ebenezer room to run. A Christmas film that opens in mid-November can play through December if audiences respond, and Paramount has placed it a week before the Thanksgiving weekend, when family audiences fill theaters. If the film earns weak reviews or poor word of mouth, that long run will not materialize, and the opening weekend will carry more weight than usual.
Ebenezer gives Depp a holiday season test
The film is the clearest test yet of whether Depp can draw a wide audience again. His last run of studio films ended amid a long legal dispute and heavy press coverage, and his recent work has been in films with limited releases. A Christmas Carol adaptation is a safer bet than an original story, because the plot is known to audiences of every age, and the title character is one of the most played roles in film history.
The production budget of 38 million dollars is modest for a studio release with a star of Depp's standing. That figure matters because a film at that cost does not need a huge opening to reach profit, provided it holds through the holidays. A 17 million to 24 million dollar opening, followed by steady December weekends, would put Ebenezer on a path to covering its costs in North America alone, before overseas sales and later streaming revenue.
Paramount has sold the film on Depp's return and on West's direction, with a trailer that leans on fog, candlelight and a gaunt Scrooge. Depp appeared at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026 for a surprise trailer reveal. The studio has not released a final theater count, but a wide release is expected.
What Ebenezer faces at the box office
The film opens into a crowded November. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives on November 20, one week after Ebenezer, and family films aimed at the Thanksgiving weekend will compete for the same audiences. Christmas titles also face a short window: once December ends, interest in holiday stories drops fast, and theaters move on to January releases.
The film's prospects rest on two questions that no projection can settle. The first is whether audiences want another version of A Christmas Carol, a story filmed dozens of times, from Alastair Sim's 1951 Scrooge to animated and musical versions. The second is whether Depp's name still draws casual moviegoers, or whether his audience is now limited to fans who followed his recent work.
Box Office Theory's range reflects that uncertainty. A 17 million dollar opening would be a soft start for a wide holiday release, while 24 million dollars would be a solid one at this budget. The gap between the two figures is the difference between a film that needs strong holds to survive and one that can coast through December. Critics' reviews, which arrive in the days before release, will narrow that range.
Ebenezer and the road back to studio films
Depp's career before his legal troubles included some of the highest-grossing films ever made, led by the Pirates of the Caribbean series. His recent years have been quieter, with roles in European productions and independent films that reached small audiences. Ebenezer is his step back into the studio system, and its result will shape what offers follow.
West, for his part, moves from low-budget horror to a studio Christmas film, a jump that mirrors Depp's own attempt at a return. The two names together give Ebenezer a talking point beyond the story itself, and Paramount is counting on that conversation to carry the film past its first weekend. The opening numbers on November 15, when weekend estimates arrive, will show whether the bet worked.