Johnny Depp’s dark “Ebenezer” posts $1.5M in box office previews ahead of release

ComingSoon.net leads with a career overview of Johnny Depp and frames “Ebenezer” as his latest high-profile Scrooge retelling.

ComingSoon.net leads with audience backlash, emphasizing a specific contentious change to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and positioning Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer as the driver of fan frustration.

CBS News emphasizes cast perspectives on themes like redemption, foregrounding interviews with Depp, Sam Claflin and Andrea Riseborough.

The Hollywood Reporter spotlights preview economics, leading with a specific $1.5 million previews figure and brief release context versus other titles.

Variety combines the $1.5 million previews number with longer context about Depp’s return to major films and Ti West’s direction.

/Film leads with a story-comparison angle, highlighting an “alarming” change to the “A Christmas Carol” narrative involving Scrooge.

The Los Angeles Times leads on tone and audience effect, describing the adaptation as mean-spirited and less family-friendly, with focus on Depp’s portrayal.

The Independent opens with a performance-and-review framing, calling Depp’s Scrooge hammy and linking the critique to the film’s comeback positioning.

Free Malaysia Today leads on a positive reinterpretation angle, describing Depp as breathing new life into the classic in Ti West’s darker version.

Brisbane Times leads with career-revival speculation, linking the film’s potential impact to Depp’s past legal woes and domestic abuse allegations.

Sydney Morning Herald similarly foregrounds the question of whether “Ebenezer” can help Depp rebound, while referencing his past legal issues and allegations.

The Age carries the same career-revival framing as Brisbane Times, reiterating questions about whether “Ebenezer” can restore Depp’s A-list status.

Hollywood Reporter leads with a review roundup, underscoring how critics are split and citing a wide range of reactions to Depp’s performance and the adaptation’s execution.

ComingSoon.net foregrounds comparative critical metrics, noting Depp’s “Ebenezer” has a lower Rotten Tomatoes score than earlier Scrooge films starring Michael Caine and Albert Finney.

ComingSoon.net leads with a broadly negative framing, saying reviews largely agree Depp is miscast as Scrooge.

Forbes emphasizes the Rotten Tomatoes critical split and presents the film as a new, debate-sparking retelling of Dickens with Depp and Ti West.

The Guardian frames the film as broadly serviceable and more faithful to Dickens than some might expect, portraying it as balancing watchability with a redemption theme.

Deadline frames the film through genre cues, describing it as a horror-flavored Scrooge take and casting Depp’s performance as central to the reinterpretation.

Winnipeg Free Press leads with a largely negative assessment, calling the horror-tinged “Ebenezer” a slog and focusing on its dour, difficult holiday tone.

The Independent spotlights a negative judgment, describing Depp’s Scrooge as hammy and arguing it undermines an otherwise fine Christmas Carol.

The New York Times frames the review as ‘Holiday Humbug,’ focusing on Depp as if he is performing a comeback persona as much as the character.

The New York Times emphasizes meta-commentary on Depp’s “comeback” and depicts him as mounting a return rather than fully embodying Scrooge.

Variety leads with skepticism, calling the retelling spookily atmospheric yet redundant, and underscores the poster’s wording while framing the movie as a repeated effort.

IndieWire emphasizes a dull, dreary take and blames Depp’s performance style for derailing the film from the start, while still noting minor flourishes.

Los Angeles Times leads with premiere imagery and context, linking the London event to Depp’s return and referencing his recent legal fallout.

/Film leads with an overall verdict of passivity, arguing Depp neither helps nor hurts and calling the retelling uninspired.

IGN All leads with an assessment of the horror-leaning adaptation’s craft, but says Depp’s performance takes over more than it should.

The Hollywood Reporter leads by framing Depp’s role as a comeback vehicle and highlights the film’s creepy effectiveness, also calling out a notable supporting cast.

The Age similarly spotlights the trailer framing, highlighting Depp’s starring role and the project’s dark take on Dickens’ story.

Brisbane Times focuses on the trailer, foregrounding the concept of Depp starring as Ebenezer in a dark reimagining rather than critiquing execution.

The Sydney Morning Herald presents the film through trailer-level context, stressing a dark Dickens reimagining starring Depp without adding review judgments.

The Independent leads with the comeback framing, stressing the film’s position as Depp’s first Hollywood project since his 2022 Amber Heard defamation case, and notes early reactions are beginning to fade.

The New York Post foregrounds financial specifics, making the reported pay cut for the “Ebenezer” role the central headline detail.

ComingSoon emphasises pay comparison, presenting the reported $5 million upfront and highlighting how it is drastically lower than Depp’s earlier “Pirates” era earnings.

ComingSoon focuses on Depp’s own framing, highlighting that he addresses his absence from major studio projects ahead of the premiere.

Variety combines the comeback context with industry detail, linking local theater-owner interest to a discussion of Depp’s smaller salary and post-legal controversy history.

The Independent repeats its earlier approach, again leading with the mainstream comeback and the timeline from the Amber Heard legal battle to the “A Christmas Carol” adaptation.

ComingSoon spotlights the content of early reactions, stating that social media responses largely agree on Depp’s Scrooge anchoring the film.

Variety leads with the critical tone, describing early press reviews as largely positive and quoting reviewers’ characterizations of the film’s holiday appeal and “comeback” role for Depp.