Paramount’s “Ebenezer,” which marks Johnny Depp’s first major role in a Hollywood production since 2018, is off to a modest start at the box office with a $19 million domestic opening and $42 million worldwide.
Produced on a reported $38 million budget with a $50 million marketing campaign, Ti West’s adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” has drawn an early audience that consists primarily of Depp’s most loyal fans, as 50% of those surveyed named the actor as their primary reason for their interest.
While critics have been mixed on “Ebenezer,” those fans have given the film largely positive reception with an A- on CinemaScore, 4.5/5 on PostTrak and a 90% Rotten Tomatoes audience score. Now the question is whether the film can expand interest beyond the Depp fans and gain traction over the next six weeks as a seasonal Christmas title during what is going to be an extremely competitive holiday season with multiple films vying for screens in the shadow of “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part Three.”
On the flipside, there is Amazon MGM’s “How to Rob a Bank,” a $60 million YouTube-tinged crime action comedy starring Nicholas Hoult that got busted this weekend with just a $5.1 million opening from 2,810 theaters. Directed by David Leitch, the film has received negative reviews and only somewhat positive audience reception with a B- on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 34% critics and 78% audience.
With such a low start outside the top 5 and its core 18-34 audience likely to either watch “Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” next weekend or just stay home and play “Grand Theft Auto VI,” “How to Rob a Bank” is looking like it will fall down the charts fast.
Things are looking a bit more hopeful for Warner Bros.’ “The Cat in the Hat,” which stayed in the No. 2 spot on the charts this weekend with an $11.4 million second weekend, dropping just 43% from its $20.5 million opening.
While opening far lower than past Dr. Seuss adaptations like Illumination’s 2018 “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” Warner has expressed confidence that “The Cat in the Hat” can leg out through Thanksgiving and beyond among families as more and more of them get time to go to the movies closer to the holidays. The film will need those legs to rise past its break-even point as it currently has a $38.2 million domestic and $55.8 million global cume against a $92 million budget.
More to come…