Ebenezer Box Office: Johnny Depp Scores His First No. 1 in Eight Years With a $7.1M Friday

The ghost story is working. Paramount’s Ebenezer, Ti West’s gothic take on A Christmas Carol starring Johnny Depp as Scrooge, took first place at the domestic box office on Friday, November 13, 2026, with an estimated $7.1 million, including $1.5 million from Thursday previews. According to Deadline, the film is now pacing toward an opening weekend of $20 million or more, which would give Depp his first No. 1 opening since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018.

Ebenezer opening weekend numbers

• Thursday previews: $1.5 million (from 2 p.m. shows)
• Friday, including previews: $7.1 million
• Domestic weekend projection: $20 million+ from more than 3,500 theaters
• International projection: about $20 million from 63 markets
• Reported production budget: $38 million

The Hollywood Reporter says Paramount itself projected around $20 million domestically and another $20 million overseas, so the film is landing right on target. Industry trackers such as Boxoffice Pro had put the opening range at $20 million to $25 million.

How Ebenezer stacks up against the competition

The biggest win here is who Depp beat. Godzilla Minus Zero, which opened at No. 1 last weekend with $31.6 million, drops to second place in its second frame. The other newcomers are much quieter: David Leitch’s How to Rob a Bank, starring Nicholas Hoult and Zoë Kravitz, is expected to land in the single digits.

Ebenezer’s previews did trail some holiday comparisons. Red One made $3.7 million in previews and 2018’s animated The Grinch made $2.2 million. But Ebenezer is a spooky PG-13 ghost story, not a family action comedy, so those comparisons only go so far.

Reviews vs. audiences

Critics are split. Gold Derby noted the film sat at around 50% on Rotten Tomatoes heading into the weekend. Audiences are warmer: opening-night exit polling reported by industry outlets gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars and a 63% “definite recommend.” That gap matters, because word of mouth will decide whether Ebenezer holds through Thanksgiving.

What this means for Johnny Depp

This is Depp’s first major studio release since 2018, after years dominated by his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. Reports say he took a significant pay cut to star, with bonuses tied to performance. A $20 million opening on a $38 million budget is a solid result for a non-franchise film, and it puts him in a strong position heading into Lionsgate’s Day Drinker in 2027. Boxoffice Pro even floated the idea that a hit could reopen conversations about Depp and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, though nothing like that has been announced.

The real test comes next weekend, when The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives on November 20 and takes over premium screens.

Watch the Ebenezer trailer

Final weekend estimates arrive Sunday. For the full cast and story, see our Ebenezer guide.

Related on Nerdism

• Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer: Trailer, Cast and First Reactions
• Godzilla Minus Zero Stomps to No. 1
• Margot Robbie Joins A24’s The Week of Pain

Sources: Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Gold Derby, Boxoffice Pro, Paramount Pictures.