Johnny Depp's return to Hollywood has scored highly in the first test screenings of his new film Ebenezer, a gothic take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The 63-year-old stars as Scrooge in the Paramount production, which hit a test screening in New Jersey with an audience score of 80.
Test screening results
According to Punk News' Matthew Belloni and his three sources, Ebenezer scored 80, meaning four-fifths of the audience thought the film was very good or excellent. Most movies test-screen at around 72, with the top 10% reaching 93 or higher.
Depp's personal audience rating was even higher, with the insider reporting: "They loved him: Depp scored an 86, very high for any actor—the general norm for a lead character is a 67—let alone a guy who just a few years ago was considered banished and unemployable." The star scored 90 with women over 35, presumably the demographic who grew up with him as their big-screen heartthrob.
Hollywood comeback
Depp was dropped from the Pirates of the Caribbean and Fantastic Beasts franchises in 2018 over accusations of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife, which he always strongly denied. After winning his US libel case against her, the Jack Sparrow star has been making a gradual return to filmmaking, with Ebenezer marking his first Hollywood studio film in several years after a couple of European indies.
Belloni also addressed Depp being in talks for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, as revealed by producer Jerry Bruckheimer at D23 last weekend. Rumour has it, Depp will play a supporting role to Margot Robbie, who still hasn't signed on fully after three or four drafts of the script.
Pirates of the Caribbean 6 talks
The insider added: "If Depp is now in the mix, the trick for producer Jerry Bruckheimer will be delivering a script where Robbie is front and center to her satisfaction, while also leaving room for Depp's Jack Sparrow as a supporting character."
Ebenezer hits UK cinemas on November 13, 2026.
