Johnny Depp received a $5 million salary for his Hollywood comeback in Ebenezer. According to Variety, this is a fraction of what he earned on previous studio films.
The actor's fee also includes bonuses linked to the film's box-office performance. It is Depp's first major Hollywood role since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018.
Depp plays a curmudgeonly businessman visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. In the trailer, he scares villagers and remains stingy with Christmas bonuses.
Paramount reportedly spent about $38 million making the film and around $50 million on marketing, though it declined to comment on the figures. Tracking suggests an opening of about $20 million in the US and Canada, with another $20 million from 63 overseas markets.
Cinema owners are cautiously hopeful. Mark O'Meara, who runs theatres in Fairfax, Virginia, said reactions have been mixed rather than divided.
Regal chief executive Eduardo Acuna said he is optimistic, arguing the part suits Depp and the filmmaker has his own style. Classic Cinemas chief executive Chris Johnson said the film will succeed or fail based on its quality, and that audiences seem forgiving.
Audience research points the same way. An April 2026 study by the National Research Group ranked Depp among the top ten actors who would most interest people in seeing a film in theatres.
Researcher Kevin Goetz said audiences do not care about the controversy surrounding him. Since leaving studio films, Depp appeared in Minamata (2020) and Jeanne du Barry (2023), and directed Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness (2024).
He also has a reported $20 million deal with Dior. The result may also shape his future.
Depp has said he is open to playing Jack Sparrow again, mainly to give Pirates of the Caribbean a better ending, and sources say Disney is weighing the reaction to Ebenezer before it approves another film.