Ebenezer Reviews Split as Embargo Lifts: Critics Praise Johnny Depp but Question the Familiar Story
The first full reviews for Ebenezer, Ti West’s gothic retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol starring Johnny Depp as Scrooge, began appearing on Thursday after the film’s review embargo lifted at noon Eastern time. The early verdict is split: critics are largely praising Depp’s performance while disagreeing sharply about the film around him. Ebenezer opens in theaters in the United States and the United Kingdom on Friday, November 13.
What the first reviews say
The reviews published so far land across a wide range. Xpress Mag gave the film 7 out of 10, Absolute Geeks scored it 3.8 out of 5, The Geek rated it 7.4 out of 10, Popped scored it 7.5 out of 10, and Reviews & Dunn awarded it a B-. Critics Notebook published one of the harshest assessments, arguing that Depp’s performance sinks the film.
The common thread in the positive reviews is the craft: the Victorian staging, the production design, the score and the gothic atmosphere. The common thread in the negative ones is familiarity. Several critics argue that West’s film tells a story audiences already know by heart and does not find enough new to say about it.
The praise for Depp
Depp’s Scrooge is the one element almost every critic agrees on, even when they disagree about the film. Filmspeak chief critic Tom Chatalbash, writing in early reactions collected by Variety, called Depp a “fiendish delight” and the film a “wickedly fun holiday treat.” The Geek wrote that Depp is “grotesque, entertaining, frightening and unexpectedly human,” while Absolute Geeks called him a “brilliant monster” as the unrepentant miser.
Reviews & Dunn said Depp “perfectly embodies the grumpy old man Scrooge requires” and praised Tramell Tillman, who plays the Ghost of Christmas Present, for stealing his scenes. Popped called it “so good to have Johnny Depp acting once more,” praising his performance alongside the set designs and supporting cast, including Rupert Grint as Bob Cratchit and Ian McKellen as Jacob Marley.
Where critics split
The divide opens on what happens after Scrooge starts to change. Absolute Geeks wrote that Depp is “less convincing once Scrooge starts softening” and that the redemption arc “never fully convinces.” Xpress Mag found Depp’s performance “oddly out of step” with the rest of the production and “overplayed,” even as it praised the film’s look and sound as “wonderfully faithful” to Dickens.
Critics Notebook went further, calling Depp’s turn a “grotesque caricature” and arguing that Ian McKellen and Rupert Grint are “criminally underused.” Early social-media reactions were just as divided: critic MaryAnn Johanson dismissed the film in two words, “utterly superfluous,” while others compared Depp’s Scrooge favorably with Alastair Sim, Michael Caine and George C. Scott. Critic Steve Kopian faulted the editing and said some jokes failed to land, and journalist Alex Kokz praised Depp while arguing the film offers little that is new.
Prediction markets are braced for a weak critical consensus. Traders on Kalshi put the film’s eventual Rotten Tomatoes score at about 36.8 percent, well below the 60 percent needed for a “Fresh” rating, though that is a market forecast rather than a published score. Reviews were still landing at the time of writing, and no settled Tomatometer score had been published.
Background: a comeback eight years in the making
Ebenezer is Depp’s first major Hollywood studio film in eight years, following the legal battles with his former wife Amber Heard that dominated his career after his last major studio role in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018. The Guardian reported on November 7 that the film is a genuine test of whether Depp can still sell tickets.
West, best known for the X trilogy, directs from a screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern. The film runs 116 minutes and is rated PG-13 for frightening material. Andrea Riseborough plays the Ghost of Christmas Past, Sam Claflin plays Scrooge’s nephew Fred, and Daisy Ridley also stars. The film held its New York premiere on November 1 and its global premiere in London’s Leicester Square on November 9.
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An August test screening scored 80 out of 100, with Depp earning an 86, according to Puck. Box-office tracking has cooled since then: Boxoffice Pro projected a $25 million to $35 million domestic opening in October, while more recent tracking cited by SlashFilm puts the opening at $17 million to $24 million.
Why this matters
Ebenezer is one of the biggest tests of the holiday movie season. Paramount is selling Depp’s return as a major event, and the film’s opening will be read as a verdict on whether audiences are ready to welcome him back to mainstream studio films. Deadline has reported that rumors are rife that a strong showing could help green-light a Pirates of the Caribbean reboot with Depp returning as Captain Jack Sparrow.
The film also arrives in a crowded entertainment weekend. Godzilla Minus Zero set a North American debut record earlier this month, and gamers are waiting on GTA 6, the most pre-ordered game ever on PlayStation and Xbox. Ebenezer will have to stand out in a market with no shortage of options.
Latest developments
Thursday-night preview screenings begin hours after the embargo lift, with the film opening wide on Friday. Screenings in Australia and Brazil began a day earlier, on November 12. More reviews from major outlets are expected through the opening weekend, and the critical consensus is likely to shift as the review count grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Ebenezer come out?
Ebenezer opens in theaters in the United States and the United Kingdom on Friday, November 13, 2026, with Thursday-night previews. Screenings in Australia and Brazil began on November 12.
What are critics saying about Johnny Depp in Ebenezer?
Critics are largely praising Depp’s performance as Scrooge, calling it lively, grotesque and entertaining, while splitting on the film itself. Several reviewers say the story feels too familiar and the redemption arc does not fully convince.
Is Ebenezer suitable for children?
No, not for young children. The film is rated PG-13 for frightening material, and reviewers warn that the ghosts are genuinely dark and frightening, with unsettling supernatural imagery that could prove too much for younger viewers.
What is Ebenezer’s Rotten Tomatoes score?
Reviews were still landing when this article was written, and no settled Tomatometer score had been published. Prediction-market traders on Kalshi forecast a score of about 36.8 percent, which would be below the 60 percent “Fresh” threshold.
Final paragraph
Ebenezer’s first reviews tell a familiar Hollywood story: a star performance that most critics admire inside a film they cannot agree on. Whether audiences agree with the enthusiasts or the skeptics will become clear this weekend, when the box office delivers the verdict that matters most to Paramount.
Sources: Xpress Mag | Absolute Geeks | The Geek | Popped | Reviews & Dunn | Kalshi | Comic Basics | The Orbit Mag
