Weekend Box Office: Ebenezer on top, but falls just shy of $20 million

Johnny Depp’s return to the big screen, Ebenezer, ended up being the number one movie at the domestic box office this weekend with an estimated $19 million. That’s just $1 million shy of what we predicted earlier this week. While some may say that’s only a middling number, one must remember that movies anchored by stars aren’t the reliable hits they once were. While I’d wager Depp maybe isn’t quite the superstar he once was, a $19 million start is more than decent and comparable to Brad Pitt’s recent Heart of the Beast.

In fact, both movies are performing quite similarly, in that they are far bigger hits overseas. Ebenezer was able to make $23 million internationally, bringing its global opening to $42 million, which exceeds its production budget. By the time marketing is factored in, it probably needs to do around $150 million worldwide to break even. Heart of the Beast fell just shy of $200 million globally. Ebenezer, which should benefit from the holiday movie season, should easily hit that number, so I’d say Depp’s first mainstream role in eight years is fairly successful. If Day Drinker performs similarly when it comes out this spring, Depp will likely be seen once again as a very reliable box office draw. I expect him to get many more big studio roles, with a return to Pirates of the Caribbean a no-brainer for all involved.

The Cat in the Hat Holds, While Godzilla Minus Zero Drops Sharply

WB’s The Cat in the Hat had an OK hold in week two after a poor opening, dropping 43% to $11.4 million for a $38 million domestic total. Overseas, it’s a real dud, making only $5.6 million this weekend, with its worldwide total at an anemic $55.8 million.

As expected, last week’s champ, Godzilla Minus Zero, plunged at the box office, playing very much like an anime film, with it losing 73% of its audience to hit $8.31 million. Still, it’s closing in on $50 million domestically—and likely made a fortune overseas (its foreign gross for the weekend hasn’t been revealed yet).

The Indian-produced Ramayana, the first of a two-part saga, continued to pull in a sizeable audience, dipping only 38% to $5.5 million for a domestic gross north of $24 million. Worldwide, it’s a smash, sitting at $147.5 million on its way to the double-century mark.

You Can See Everything Eyes $100 Million

A24’s Elizabeth Holmes doc, You Can See Everything, looks like it will inevitably make $100 million domestically—a huge number for a documentary. It made $5.47 million, a drop of only 35%, bringing its domestic total to $80 million.

Ghost Soldier and How to Rob a Bank Struggle

Sadly, a pair of action flicks died this weekend. The Jim Caviezel-led Ghost Soldier (which we had fun with) managed only $5.2 million for an $8.3 million total (it opened on Veterans Day). It did marginally better than the big-budget How to Rob a Bank, which died with only $5.17 million. It made about the same overseas, leaving its worldwide gross at a horrible $10 million.

Wild Horse Nine and Wildwood Keep Drawing Audiences

In a nice bit of news for grown-up movies, Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine has continued to pull in solid box office, dipping only 22% this weekend to make $4.6 million for a $13.3 million domestic total. Overseas, it’s made about the same, bringing it to $28 million worldwide—a very good result for a movie like this.

Laika’s Wildwood also continued to draw strong word of mouth, earning $4.5 million for a $48.4 million domestic total. Finally, Clayface, from James Gunn’s now over-and-done-with era of DC Studios, made $3.7 million for a $63 million domestic total as it wraps up its run. Worldwide, it’s at $121 million.

What did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments.