Johnny Depp returned to the top of the North American box office over the November 13–15 weekend as Paramount Pictures’ PG-13 adaptation Ebenezer opened at No. 1 with an estimated $19 million from 3,535 theaters. Overseas, director Ti West’s take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol earned $23 million across 63 international markets for a $42 million global debut, while Amazon MGM’s heist comedy How to Rob a Bank stumbled to seventh place domestically with $5 million to $5.18 million.
Because movie theaters keep roughly half of ticket sales, Ebenezer is positioned to turn a theatrical profit for Paramount ahead of the Thanksgiving corridor, according to Variety’s box office report. Studio executives kept the production budget to $38 million after UK tax credits and paid Depp a $5 million upfront salary, a fraction of his past studio quotes, paired with bonuses tied to box office milestones. The movie is Depp’s first major studio role in eight years, since 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and follows his July Comic-Con appearance in San Diego wearing full Scrooge prosthetics.
How the weekend box office shook out
Ebenezer opens at No. 1
Produced by Emma Watts and directed by West, Ebenezer stars Depp alongside Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Charlie Murphy, and Tramell Tillman. The film collected $1.5 million in Thursday previews and $6.7 million to $7.1 million on Friday on its way to $19 million for the three-day frame. Critics were lukewarm, giving it a 52% to 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences awarded it an A- grade on CinemaScore, a 90% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and a 4.5 out of 5 rating on PostTrak, per TheWrap’s weekend analysis. PostTrak polling showed around 50% of ticket buyers attended specifically for Depp, with audiences skewing 52% female, 58% Caucasian, and 59% aged 30 or older, led by turnout in the U.S. South. “This is a solid opening for a Christmas-themed movie,” said David A. Gross, publisher of the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “Johnny Depp remains a major celebrity around the world, and director Ti West brings some edge.”
How to Rob a Bank stumbles in seventh place
Amazon MGM’s R-rated heist comedy How to Rob a Bank, directed by David Leitch and starring Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, and Pete Davidson as bank robbers who broadcast their heists on social media before drawing federal heat, opened at No. 7 across 2,810 domestic locations. After taking in $900,000 in Thursday previews and $2.2 million on Friday, its three-day domestic haul was estimated at $5 million by Variety, $5.1 million by TheWrap, and $5.18 million on CinemaBlend’s weekend chart. Another $5.1 million from 73 international territories brought its global start to $10.3 million against a production budget reported at more than $40 million by Variety and $60 million by TheWrap. The film received a B- CinemaScore, a 33% to 34% Rotten Tomatoes critic score (78% audience score), and a 48 out of 100 on Metacritic. “This is a weak opening for an original action comedy,” Gross said. “With limited business overseas, the movie is going to fall short of recouping its investment.”
Ghost Soldier lands at No. 6
Sony’s action thriller Ghost Soldier, starring Jim Caviezel as a former American Special Forces soldier, finished one spot higher in sixth place across 2,558 theaters. Following a Wednesday, November 11 launch, the movie grossed $5.2 million over the traditional three-day weekend and $8.3 million across its first five days, edging past earlier industry tracking of $4.9 million for the weekend and $8 million over five days. Produced on an $18 million budget, Ghost Soldier holds a 36% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and did not report a CinemaScore grade.
The Cat in the Hat holds second place
Warner Bros. Animation’s family adaptation The Cat in the Hat, voiced by Bill Hader, stayed at No. 2 in its second weekend across 4,003 theaters, dropping 45% from its $20.5 million opening. Variety reported a $11 million second weekend and a $36.7 million domestic total, while CinemaBlend listed the three-day estimate at $11.4 million for a $38.17 million domestic cume. Globally, the animated release has earned $55 million, a slow return against its $92 million production budget.
Godzilla Minus Zero drops to third place
After leading the box office the prior weekend with a $31.6 million debut, GKIDS’ kaiju sequel Godzilla Minus Zero slid 75% to No. 3 with $8.31 million from 3,246 to 3,264 locations. Even with the steep second-week drop, the sequel has been a strong North American draw, lifting its domestic total to $48.1 million (per Variety) to $48.88 million (per CinemaBlend). Just behind it at No. 4 on CinemaBlend’s chart, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend brought in $5.5 million from 1,110 theaters for a $24.13 million domestic total.
You Can See Everything nears $100 million
In fifth place, A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything, directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, grossed $5.4 million (per Variety) to $5.47 million (per CinemaBlend) across 1,845 screens in its fifth weekend. The documentary has now reached $89 million in North America, putting it on pace to cross the rare $100 million domestic mark.
What Ebenezer means for Johnny Depp’s studio future
Depp’s Hollywood career unraveled in 2020 after domestic abuse allegations by his ex-wife Amber Heard, which he denied, led to two high-profile defamation trials. While major studio offers dried up during that stretch, an April 2026 study by the National Research Group ranked Depp among the top 10 actors globally, ahead of Tom Hanks and behind Margot Robbie, who made moviegoers most interested in seeing a new film in a theater.
“With the No. 1 film in the marketplace, and his image and likeness splashed all over the marketing material, Johnny Depp’s Hollywood exile is effectively over,” said Jeff Bock, a box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “This benchmark tells the industry that Depp is once again castable, marketable and capable of opening a studio movie. Captain Jack Sparrow — it’s time to set sail again.”
Depp is lined up to star alongside Penélope Cruz in Lionsgate’s 2027 action thriller Day Drinker. Meanwhile, Disney has weighed another Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and while Depp has said he is open to reprising Captain Jack Sparrow, he previously noted that “the only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note.” In theaters next weekend, Ebenezer and its holdover rivals will face fresh competition from Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.