Depp, 63, plays Scrooge in Ti West's gothic take, his first film with a major US studio since 2018, opening Nov. 13.
Johnny Depp walked the red carpet at London's Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on Monday night for the global premiere of Ebenezer, a retelling of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella. Director Ti West and cast members including Rupert Grint and Sam Claflin were there too. Paramount opens the film in theaters on Nov. 13.
The red carpet was decked out with Christmas trees and artificial snow, and the temperature dropped on the night. Fans packed the enclosure, most of them there for Depp, who spoke to handpicked media before walking the fan line.
West said Depp had approached him about the role when he heard the production was in the works, and that Depp had been obsessed with Scrooge since he was a child. “It was a weird cosmic thing where it was meant to be,” said West.
Depp confirmed West's account in a public interview before going into the cinema, and explained why the story mattered to him:
“I adored it as a child and to this day I know there is no better person to play Ebenezer Scrooge than Alastair Sim… the challenge is to find another angle.”
Ellie Bamber, who plays Ebenezer's long-lost love, said the film remains very much a family film: “It's still very Christmassy with a hint of fright.” Given West's horror filmography, the adaptation leans into gothic horror, which gives it an extra edge over earlier screen versions.
Early reactions from press screenings were largely positive. FilmSpeak chief film critic Tom Chatalbash called the film a “wickedly fun holiday treat and strong comeback vehicle for its star.”
Not everyone agreed. UK-based film critic and writer MaryAnn Johanson kept her verdict short on X: “Utterly superfluous,” she wrote.
The film is billed as Depp's comeback after his high-profile legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard. It is his first movie with a major American studio since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018. Asked by the Associated Press how it felt to return to Hollywood, Depp said: “I mean, the difference is this: there was a bit of a vacation,” adding, “Which is fine.”
Rumours are rife that a strong run for Ebenezer could help green-light a Pirates of the Caribbean reboot with Depp back as Captain Jack Sparrow. At a New York screening on Nov. 1, Depp told Entertainment Tonight he would happily work again with Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer: “We have a deep friendship.” He said the only involvement he really wanted in the series was to send it off on a better note, if things were where they needed to be.
The film is rumoured to have a budget of about $40 million, plus a large marketing and distribution spend. Boxoffice Pro projects it could earn between $25 million and $35 million domestically in its opening weekend, though other industry analysts are less optimistic. Depp's next film, the thriller Day Drinker, opens in theaters on March 26, 2027, with Penélope Cruz.
Full critics' reviews are due on Nov. 12.
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