Early social media reactions to Ebenezer are emerging after Paramount hosted several press screenings in recent days. The film stars Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge and marks his return to mainstream Hollywood filmmaking following the fallout from his divorce from Amber Heard and the legal battles that followed.
The release follows premieres on both sides of the Atlantic. Ebenezer made its world debut at New York City’s Whitby Hotel on Nov. 1, before a London premiere in Leicester Square on Monday night. Paramount has permitted screening attendees to share brief responses on social media ahead of the publication of full critics’ reviews on Nov. 12. The film is scheduled to reach theaters worldwide on Nov. 13.
Adapted from Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer gives the familiar story a black comedy treatment. Its setting remains Victorian London, where Scrooge is a miserly businessman with an especially strong dislike of Christmas. Visits from three spirits send Depp’s character on a journey toward redemption, forming the central story of this latest screen version of Dickens’ work.
Depp leads an ensemble that includes Tramell Tillman, Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough and Sam Claflin. Daisy Ridley, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber and Henry Lloyd-Hughes also appear in the cast. Nathaniel Halpern wrote the screenplay for the adaptation, which pairs the Christmas story with director Ti West.
West’s directing credits include A24’s X trilogy and a series of earlier films. He made The Roost in 2005 and Trigger Man in 2007, followed by The House of the Devil in 2009 and The Innkeepers in 2011. His filmography also includes the 2016 release In a Valley of Violence.
For Depp, the production represents a significant return after a period of limited work. The Oscar-nominated actor was once among the entertainment industry’s most bankable stars, but has worked only sporadically since 2020. Ebenezer is his first mainstream Hollywood feature since the upheaval surrounding his divorce and subsequent litigation.
His projects during that period included a starring role in the 2023 French film Jeanne du Barry. In 2024, he directed and produced the Italian-produced biopic Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness, without appearing in its cast. Following Ebenezer, Depp is scheduled to star in Lionsgate’s supernatural thriller Day Drinker in 2027.
