Johnny Depp’s ‘Ebenezer’ Wins Opening Weekend Box Office in Return

Ebenezer made $6.7 million Friday, including Thursday previews, as star Johnny Depp’s studio comeback vehicle looks to open the top spot at the domestic box office.

Paramount Pictures has released director Ti West’s horror adaptation of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol in 3,535 North American theaters this weekend. Earning an A-CinemaScore from audiences, the $38 million project Ebenezer expected to bring in around $20 million for the frame or just below. Among Thursday night’s opening audience, 62 percent of the crowd was over the age of 30, suggesting the film was particularly appealing to those who likely have positive associations with seeing Depp’s films over the decades. Ebenezer earned 4.5 out of 5 stars on PostTrak, with 50% of moviegoers citing Depp as the reason they saw the film.

Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley and Ian McKellen complete the cast of the $38 million feature film which stars Depp as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by three spirits. Ebenezer marks Depp’s first studio feature film since 2018 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwaldas he took a break from his high-profile work following abuse allegations from ex-wife Amber Heard that Depp denied, in addition to negative headlines amid his and Heard’s defamation trial in 2022.

Paramount was pleased with data suggesting that audiences wanted Depp to return and that he still enjoyed wide appeal, with marketing including the actor appearing in character as Scrooge to remind fans of other transformative roles like Captain Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka. Ebenezer has a PG-13 rating but is still aimed at family audiences. Critics have been divided on Ebenezeras it holds a 53 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. In his criticism for The Hollywood Reportercritic Frank Scheck states that Ebenezer “fulfills its apparent goal of restoring the actor to A-list status.”

Among other new releases, Sony Pictures released Ghost Soldier Wednesday in 2,558 North American locations, with director William Eubank’s action film expected to bring in an estimated $5 million for the three days and $8.1 million in domestic receipts. Jim Caviezel plays a former Green Beret who must defend his Wyoming community against a corporate threat. Originally from Mandalay Pictures, Ghost Soldier holds a score of 42 percent from Rotten Tomatoes critics and 90 percent from audiences.

Amazon MGM Studios not expected to bring in big money How to rob a bankas director David Leitch’s heist flick grossed $2.2 million domestically on Friday, including Thursday previews, and an estimated $4.7 million for the frame. Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz and Anna Sawai star in this $40 million collective film about a group of bank robbers who document their exploits on social media.

How to rob a bank opens well below Leitch’s recent works, including those from 2022 High-speed train ($30 million domestic debut) and 2024 The fall guy ($27.7 million domestic debut), although those featured more proven box office draws, starring Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling, respectively. The new film, which earned a B-CinemaScore, was a bit vacuous with critics. It holds a 33 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 80 percent audience score, with THR Chief film critic David Rooney noted in his review that “the fun wears a bit thin.”

Warner Bros.’ The Cat in the Hat is poised to leap to second place in its second year, taking in around $10 million domestically for the weekend, which will bring its North American cume to $36.7 million, a respectable drop of around 50 percent. Bill Hader plays the titular unpredictable feline in directors Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni’s animated retelling of Dr. Seuss’ classic children’s book.

After debuting in first place last weekend, Godzilla minus zero ranks third with an estimated $7.5 million domestically in its second year, while its North American value is expected to reach $48.1 million. Filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki’s sequel to 2023 Godzilla minus one there appears to be a significant drop of around 75 percent.

Sony Images’ Ramayana: The Rise of a Legend is likely to collect $5.4 million in its second weekend, for a likely domestic cume of $24 million through Sunday and a pleasant 38 percent drop. Its success would place director Nitesh Tiwari’s religious epic as the second highest-grossing Indian feature film at the US box office. The two-part film project carries an estimated production budget of $420 million and counting.

A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary will likely close out the top five. You can see everythingwhich continues its impressive run for its fifth weekend with an estimated $5.1 million for the frame and a domestic total of $88.6 million. With an enviable drop of around 37 percent so deep in the race, the hot feature from directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim continues to build awards momentum.

Among the weekend’s limited release debuts, Neon debuted James Gray’s. Paper Tiger in six theaters in Los Angeles and New York, with the crime drama estimated to gross $203,000 for the frame, or a per-screen average of $33,884. Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller star in the feature, which Rooney’s review hailed as “a drama of almost overwhelming power.”

Next weekend will see the arrival of Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise over the Harvestwhich should become one of the most profitable titles of the fall.