Johnny Depp’s return to the big screen is earning him some of the warmest notices of his recent career — even as critics disagree about the film around him. Early reviews of Ti West’s Ebenezer, a dark Gothic retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, landed on Wednesday ahead of the film’s US release on Friday, November 13, and the split is already clear: Depp’s Scrooge is the draw, and the familiar story is the argument.
The film opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, November 12, with reviews publishing through the day. The full review embargo lifts on Thursday, November 12, so a Rotten Tomatoes aggregate has not yet been published — but the first verdicts are in, and they agree on one thing above all: the star.
The consensus so far: Depp delivers
Across the early reviews, Depp’s performance is the one element nobody is arguing about. TV Central, which attended a preview screening in Australia, calls his Scrooge “larger, kookier and more outlandish”, and says the eccentricity belongs in the heightened world West has built. Both of its reviewers scored the film 7.5/10.
TheGeek.games goes further, scoring the acting 9.4 out of 10 and calling Depp “grotesque, entertaining, frightening and unexpectedly human”. Its review frames the film as Depp’s rebirth: “Ebenezer is Johnny Depp’s major Hollywood comeback, and the actor proves in every scene that the screen remains one of his natural habitats.”
The first social-media reactions from the London premiere on November 9 tell the same story: viewers repeatedly placed Depp alongside Alastair Sim and Michael Caine among the great screen Scrooges, and several singled out Tramell Tillman as a scene-stealer as the Ghost of Christmas Present. An August test screening reportedly scored the film 80, with Depp earning an 86, according to Puck.
Where critics disagree: the story itself
The divide opens up over whether Dickens’ tale needed telling again at all. TheGeek.games gives the story just 4.8 out of 10, arguing that the film’s greatest weakness is “the distance between the freshness of the presentation and the age of the story” — and that Dickens’ classic “still becomes too old-fashioned, didactic and unnecessarily philosophical in this version”. Its overall score is 7.4/10.
The Phrasemaker is blunter still, calling another version of a story “told thousands of times” lazy and uninspired, even while praising the Gothic look and the horror elements West brings to the ghosts. All Things Fadra lands in the middle: a darker, “remarkably authentic” version, though it notes the changed ending loses some of the original’s emotional payoff.
TV Central’s verdict captures the middle ground: “a very good new interpretation rather than a replacement for the versions audiences already love”. It also warns parents that, with its shadowy palette and confronting spirits, “this is not the version I would choose for very young children”.
The film at a glance
| Detail | Ebenezer (2026) |
|---|---|
| Director | Ti West (X, Pearl, MaXXXine) |
| Screenplay | Nathaniel Halpern |
| Cast | Johnny Depp (Scrooge), Ian McKellen (Jacob Marley), Rupert Grint (Bob Cratchit), Daisy Ridley (Emily Cratchit), Andrea Riseborough (Ghost of Christmas Past), Tramell Tillman (Ghost of Christmas Present), Sam Claflin, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Charlie Murphy |
| Runtime | 1 hour 55 minutes |
| Rating | PG-13 for frightening material |
| US release | Friday, November 13, 2026 |
| Budget | Approximately $38 million |
| Opening projection | $17–24 million (earlier tracking) |
What it means: a comeback test at the box office
For Depp, Ebenezer is the biggest test of his post-trial career: his first major Hollywood studio lead in years, in a $38-million Paramount production, opening against the heist comedy How to Rob a Bank on the same Friday. Earlier tracking put its opening weekend at $17–24 million.
The early critical split may actually help it. A film that divides reviewers but unites them on its star gives audiences a clear reason to go — to judge Depp’s Scrooge for themselves — and the Gothic horror framing sets it apart from every cosy Christmas Carol adaptation on the shelf. The bigger threat is the calendar: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives on November 20 and will dominate the following weekend.
Frequently asked questions
When does Ebenezer release?
Ebenezer opens in US theatres on Friday, November 13, 2026. It released in Australia on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
What are critics saying about Ebenezer?
Early reviews are split on the film but united on Johnny Depp: TV Central scored it 7.5/10 and TheGeek.games 7.4/10, both praising Depp’s eccentric, grotesque Scrooge and Ti West’s Gothic direction, while questioning whether Dickens’ story needed another retelling.
Is there a Rotten Tomatoes score for Ebenezer yet?
No aggregate score has been published yet. The review embargo lifts on Thursday, November 12, after which the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score should appear.
How long is Ebenezer?
The film runs 1 hour 55 minutes (115 minutes).
Is Ebenezer suitable for children?
It is rated PG-13 for frightening material, and reviewers warn it is considerably darker and scarier than most Christmas Carol adaptations — not a good choice for very young children, but fine for teenagers and adults who enjoy Gothic fantasy.
What is Ebenezer’s box office outlook?
Earlier tracking projected a $17–24 million opening weekend in the US against a reported budget of around $38 million, so the film will need a strong holiday-season run to turn a profit.