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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 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 the opening weekend of “Ebenezer”? Analysts say tickets didn’t signal a resounding 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. Meanwhile 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 who is 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. And 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.”
Two other movies, Amazon MGM’s caper “How to Rob a Bank” and Sony’s action thriller “Ghost Soldier,” starring Jim Caviezel, opened nationwide to mixed results.
“How to Rob a Bank” stumbled at No. 7 with $5 million from 2,810 theaters in its debut. The heist comedy, starring Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz and Pete Davidson, was produced for more than $40 million, and cinema operators keep about half of ticket sales. What’s troubling is neither critics nor audiences were receptive to the film, which landed a “B-” grade on CinemaScore and tepid 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. David Leitch directed the R-rated caper, which follows a crew of social media-savvy bank robbers who broadcast their daring heists, unaware their viral fame has caught the attention of the feds.
“This is a weak opening for an original action comedy,” says Gross. “With limited business overseas, the movie is going to fall short of recouping its investment.”
“Ghost Soldier” was just ahead on box office charts, in sixth place with $5.2 million over the traditional weekend and $8.3 million through its first five days of release. The movie, led by Caviezel as a former American Special Forces soldier, carries an $18 million production budget.
“How to Rob a Bank” and “Ghost Solider” opened behind several holdovers, Warner Bros. Animation’s “The Cat in the Hat” and Gkids’ “Godzilla Minus Zero.”
“The Cat in the Hat” remained in second place with $11 million from 4,003 theaters in its sophomore outing, a 45% decline from its debut. So far, the animated family film has earned $36.7 million domestically and just $55 million globally, a disappointing tally against a $92 million budget.
“Godzilla Minus Zero” slid to No. 3 after leading box office charts last weekend. The kaiju sequel earned $8.31 million from 3,264 locations, a harsh 75% drop from its opening. Despite a big decline, “Godzilla Minus Zero” has been a hit in North America with $48.1 million to date.
In fifth place, A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything” brought in $5.4 million from 1,845 screens in its fifth weekend of release. The buzzy movie, directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, been a huge draw with $89 million and will soon clear the $100 million mark in North America. That’s a rare box office milestone for any documentary — especially one that’s nearly three hours long.
Among specialty releases, A24’s heartwarming comedy “Club Kid” and Amazon MGM’s drama “I Play Rocky” attempted to sustain momentum in limited release.
“Club Kid” stayed strong with $756,060 on 27 screens, translating to $28,002 per screen and boosting its tally to $1.45 million. Jordan Firstman wrote, directed and stars in the film, which revolves around a hard-partying club promoter who finds out he has a 10-year-old son.
“I Play Rocky” captured $503,818 from 29 venues, averaging $17,373 per location. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the movie depicts the real-life story of Sylvester Stallone bringing the 1976 classic “Rocky” to the big screen. Both films will expand nationwide around Thanksgiving.
Overall, the box office is 20% ahead of the same point last year, and exhibitors are optimistic about the rest of November. Next weekend brings Lionsgate’s “Hunger Games” prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping,” which is tracking to open above $100 million. Then Turkey Day will bring Universal’s comedy “Focker in Law,” with Ariana Grande joining Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, and Disney’s animated “Hexed.”
These movies are “setting the table for what promises to be an exciting Thanksgiving frame,” says Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends Paul Dergarabedian. “With the holiday moviegoing season getting underway, the industry has a great opportunity to build momentum heading into the final weeks of the year.”
