Johnny Depp at San Diego Comic-Con in 2018. Photo by Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Johnny Depp’s “Ebenezer” opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, Nov. 13, putting the actor back in a major Hollywood studio release for the first time in about eight years. The Paramount film recasts Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” as a dark, supernatural story, with Depp playing Ebenezer Scrooge.

What to know about ‘Ebenezer’

Director Ti West leads the new adaptation, which also stars Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, Andrea Riseborough and Sam Claflin. Paramount’s official trailer confirms the Nov. 13 theatrical date and Depp’s role as Scrooge. The film’s release is timed for the start of the holiday movie season, when Dickens’ story is already familiar to audiences through decades of stage and screen adaptations.

The project is Depp’s first major studio production in roughly eight years, according to CNN and The Guardian. He has appeared in independent and European productions in the intervening period. The Guardian reported that Paramount’s campaign has put Depp himself at the center, including a Scrooge appearance at San Diego Comic-Con in July and a promotional stop in New York’s Bryant Park this month.

Why the opening matters

The release gives audiences and the industry a new theatrical performance to assess after years in which Depp’s career was shaped by high-profile legal proceedings and public debate. CNN’s Nov. 9 report frames the movie as a test of whether studios and moviegoers are ready to welcome him back to prominent releases; The Guardian likewise describes the opening as a measure of his box-office draw. Those are assessments of what the film may signal, not a prediction of its sales or proof of a broader career comeback.

For now, the measurable milestone is the release itself: “Ebenezer” is arriving nationwide this week with a recognizable lead, a well-known source story and a holiday-season slot. Its box-office performance and critical reception will become clearer after theaters begin reporting results.

For more coverage, see The Globuzz’s Movies section and our report on “Godzilla Minus Zero” opening at No. 1.

Sources

Sources: CNN via CNN Newsource; The Guardian; Paramount Pictures’ official trailer.