Ebenezer marks Johnny Depp’s first major studio release in 8 years, following the box office and critical disappointment of The Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Once one of the most celebrated actors of all time, Depp’s star power faded considerably. This was due to a combination of poorly received movies like The Lone Ranger and Mortdecai, and his off-screen personal struggles and a very public trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, during which he faced allegations of domestic assault.
Depp is attempting a major comeback with Paramount Pictures and Skydance’s new film Ebenezer. Directed by Ti West, Ebenezer is a gothic reimagining of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Depp plays the titular Ebenezer Scrooge. The cast also includes Rupert Grint (Harry Potter), Ian McKellen (Avengers: Doomsday), Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Tramell Tillman (Spider-Man: Brand New Day), Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie), and Ellie Bamber (Red White and Royal Blue).
Ebenezer has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a rotten 51% rating, based on 59 reviews. The film has drawn mixed reactions, with MovieWeb’s Rob Sperduto giving it a 4/5 rating and saying, “Ebenezer gives Johnny Depp his best showcase in years and makes a real case for a new Christmas classic, even if the role asks nothing of him he hasn’t done before.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bob Chipman, in his video review for Ebenezer, gave the movie a scathing 0/10 score and called it “An appalling disaster, one of the worst films of the year if not the decade unfolds as Depp, David Ellison and Skydance team up to commit an act of violence against a literary classic and ask us: ‘What if Scrooge had a point, actually?'”
With Ebenezer being billed as a comeback for Johnny Depp. He is stepping into a role played by some of the greatest actors of all time, including the late great Patrick Stewart, George C. Scott, and Michael Caine. Depp’s portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge doesn’t seem to match that pedigree. Liz Shannon Miller, writing for Consequence, gave the film a D+ rating and said, “Johnny Depp’s performance is a sad joke compared to, say, the great Michael Caine’s definitive take on the role; Caine was performing opposite Muppets, but Depp’s doing his best to act like one.”
David Ehrlich from IndieWire gave Ebenezer a C+ and wrote: “Ti West’s horror-inflected take on Dickens’ classic has a few nice flourishes, but Depp’s muggy performance torpedoes the whole thing from the start.” Louis Chilton from The Independent (UK) gave the film a 2/5 rating saying, “This is exactly the sort of performance Depp was giving 15 years ago — which is to say, stylised and cartoonish. Most of his lines are delivered with a sort of piqued, squeaky intensity that only occasionally reads as funny.”
It appears that Depp might be what holds Ebenezer back. Writing for Vulture, Alison Wilmore said, “Johnny Depp is the worst part of Ebenezer, but he’s also the reason it exists, so it’s futile to try and separate his presence from the rest of the movie, which is, inconveniently, pretty good.” In a 6/10 rating for IGN, Tom Jorgensen says, “Depp’s over-the-top take on Scrooge feels out of step with the more grounded approach being taken by West and the rest of the supporting cast.”
Matt Zoller Seitz at RogerEbert.com gave the film a 2.5/4 rating but noted, “It would be dishonest to claim it isn’t skillfully done, in a retro-classical style (on 35mm film, no less) that will be catnip to tech geeks.” In another 2.5/5 rating, Megan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting said “Ebenezer is a competently made snooze. It feels like an annual local stage production, cozy enough in its familiarity that it evokes the holiday spirit well enough, but one that’s become repetitive in its strict adherence to Dickens’ text.”
While word of mouth from critics isn’t looking good for Ebenezer, it will be interesting to see how Depp’s reimagining of a Christmas classic lands with general moviegoers. Ebenezer is set to open on Nov. 13, 2026, timing the gothic take on A Christmas Carol with Friday the 13th. It is currently tracking to open with $20 million domestically and $20 million worldwide (via Variety).
Ebenezer reportedly has a $38 million budget and, with the potential to play well into the holiday season, could turn a profit for Skydance. With reports saying Skydance CEO David Ellison was unhappy with Warner Bros.’ slate, including the mid-budget Clayface, it will be interesting to see whether Ebenezer will be seen as a big enough hit for the company, which, according to The Wall Street Journal, is $87 million in debt.
- Release Date
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November 13, 2026
- Runtime
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116 Minutes
