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After almost a decade on the outs of the business, Johnny Depp walked onto a major Hollywood stage for the first time in years at CinemaCon this week. According to those in attendance, Depp received a rave reaction.
In attendance to promote his starring role in Ti West’s Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, Johnny Depp walked onto the stage to Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” wearing his signature hat, sunglasses, and scarves, and reportedly received a hearty applause from the room of theater owners and distributors.
Johnny Depp reportedly received a rave reaction from the CinemaCon crowd when appearing on stage to promote Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol
Depp, who last appeared in a mainstream Hollywood movie in 2018 (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) thanked the crowd for their support and told them he loved them. Since 2018, Depp has starred in just three movies, all of which were overseas productions: Waiting for the Barbarians (2019), Minamata (2020), and Jeanne du Barry (2023). He also directed and produced the 2024 film Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness.
In addition to the appearance of Depp, the first teaser trailer for Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol — Ti West’s horror-tinted take on the Dickens classic in which Depp plays Scrooge — was debuted.
“It really has been an extraordinary privilege,” Depp said of playing Scrooge. “I have been obsessed with since I was a little child.”
The footage showed Depp in heavy prosthetics delivering “Bah humbug!” to his nephew Fred (Sam Claflin), before being visited by a ghoulish Jacob Marley (Ian McKellen) and an ethereal Ghost of Christmas Past (Andrea Riseborough). The Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Tramell Tillman, appears with his ribcage open, and Scrooge is eventually chased by zombified children — a clear sign this will be a far darker take on the story than previous iterations.
In addition to Depp, McKellan, Claflin, and Riseborough, Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol also stars Daisy Ridley and Rupert Grint, and is scheduled to be released in movie theaters in the United States on November 13, 2026.
Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol isn’t Depp’s only major Hollywood project this year, as he’ll also be starring in the Lionsgate film Day Drinker alongside Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline.