Explainer
Why is a studio betting big on Johnny Depp again?
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The studio paid 38 million dollars to make Ebenezer, a big upfront sum for a star coming back after years away.
$38m
Then came marketing, about 50 million dollars, more than the film cost to make. The push sells the comeback itself: the first official trailer presents it as Depp's return to Hollywood.
$50m
The bet rests on a long road back. Depp's last Hollywood role came in 2018. He lost a libel case against The Sun in 2020, and Warner Bros dropped him from Fantastic Beasts. A jury ruled for him against Amber Heard in 2022. The film opened in cinemas on Friday, and the spending pays off or not in its opening weekend.
- 2018Last Hollywood role
- 2020Libel loss, pushed out
- 2022Jury rules for Depp
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The story
Johnny Depp returns as Scrooge in Ti West's horror-tinged 'Ebenezer'Read the article
Based on reports by
- BBCJohnny Depp on the big screen for the first time after “cancellation” years
- The Irish TimesEbenezer review: Johnny Depp still has the terrible English accent he's been torturing for 30 years
- The New York Times'Ebenezer' Review: Holiday Humbug
- watson.ch/Johnny Depp makes big comeback in “Ebenezer”: From Christmas story to horror film
- rmf24.pl“Ebenezer”. Darkness, ghosts and Johnny Depp's return to Hollywood
- N-tvNothing but “Humbug”: Johnny Depp hopes for absolution as “Ebenezer”