Johnny Depp Returns as Scrooge in 'Ebenezer' for a $5 Million Payday

Johnny Depp earned $5 million for his first major studio role in nearly eight years — a fraction of his former quotes — as Paramount's Dickens adaptation "Ebenezer" opens November 13. The film is tracking a modest debut of roughly $20 million domestically and another $20 million overseas across 63 markets.

The production budget was a cautious $38 million, with marketing expenses around $50 million, including a surprise San Diego Comic-Con appearance where Depp appeared in character and threw candy at attendees' feet. Paramount declined to comment on budgets. Depp's compensation includes bonuses tied to box office performance.

Directed by Ti West, known for the "X" horror trilogy, "Ebenezer" retells the story of the miserly businessman visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. The trailer shows Depp's Scrooge scaring villagers and skimping on Christmas bonuses.

How do audiences actually feel about Depp?

In Fairfax, Virginia — where Depp's 2022 defamation trial against Amber Heard once divided the town — local theater owner Mark O'Meara reports a calmer reception. "Some people can't wait. They love Johnny Depp. And others are just like, 'Meh,'" says O'Meara, who owns the University Mall and Cinema Arts theatres. "I don't think it's a polarizing thing."

An April 2026 study by the National Research Group backs that up. Participants ranked Depp among the top 10 actors — ahead of Tom Hanks, behind Margot Robbie — who "would make you most interested in seeing a new movie in a cinema in the future."

"Audiences don't care. He's still one of the biggest movie stars on the planet," says Kevin Goetz, founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI. "That, to me, is very telling about how often Hollywood perpetuates its own self-fulfilling prophecies."

What does this change for Depp's career?

Hollywood had kept its distance since Depp's last studio film, 2018's "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald." Warner Bros. forced him out of the Harry Potter spinoff in 2020 after he lost a libel case against The Sun, which had called him a "wife beater"; he won the subsequent U.S. defamation trial.

Since then, Depp has collected career achievement awards from international festivals, retained a $20 million Dior brand deal, appeared in the 2020 indie "Minamata" and 2023's "Jeanne du Barry," and directed the 2024 biopic "Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness." His fans rallied in 2021 to nominate "Minamata" for the Oscars' first and only fan favorite award.

The thaw is visible in upcoming slates. Depp next stars in Lionsgate's 2027 action thriller "Day Drinker" opposite Penélope Cruz. According to sources, Disney is evaluating "Ebenezer" and potential backlash before greenlighting another "Pirates of the Caribbean" film. Depp has said he is open to returning, but noted: "the only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note."

Can Scrooge carry a franchise?

Cinema operators say the box office will test the film's quality more than Depp's drawing power. Scrooge has anchored holiday moviegoing for decades, from the 1951 Alastair Sim classic to 1988's "Scrooged" with Bill Murray. Disney's most recent entry, the 2009 Jim Carrey version, grossed $325 million against an overinflated $200 million budget.

"I'm optimistic for a few reasons," says Regal CEO Eduardo Acuna. "Even though this story predates him, it feels like the character was written for Johnny Depp. And it's good IP from a very distinctive filmmaker."

"It's a story that's been told a number of times, so it'll be more about whether this one is compelling," says Classic Cinemas CEO Chris Johnson. "I don't know if I've heard anyone saying they won't see it because of Johnny Depp. The public seems to be pretty forgiving."

For Depp, playing a misanthrope fits a career built on offbeat, unlikable figures — Captain Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, the Mad Hatter. "Johnny's image was built on being a bad boy," Goetz says. "He ain't America's dad. We don't want him to be that." If "Ebenezer" lands with audiences in November, a Pirates return may not be far behind.