Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.goldderby.com
Johnny Depp is heading for his first No. 1 at the box office in eight years.
Paramount’s Ebenezer is tracking for $20 million to $23 million, which would be Depp’s first trip to No. 1 since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018. Ti West directs the dark take on A Christmas Carol, with Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, and Andrea Riseborough filling out the cast.
Reviews are mixed at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Paramount made the film for a reported $38 million and Depp took a pay cut to star. The ghosts of his recent box-office past may finally be behind him.
Godzilla Minus Zero takes second with $12 million to $15 million after the biggest opening ever for a live-action foreign-language film. The Cat in the Hat follows with $10 million to $13 million. The Cat in the Hat follows with $10 million to $13 million. Warner Bros.’ animated Dr. Seuss adaptation has the family audience to itself until Disney’s Hexed arrives Nov. 25.
How to Rob a Bank is tracking towards a fourth-place debut with $6 million to $8 million. That’s a steep drop for director David Leitch, whose The Fall Guy and Bullet Train both opened near $30 million, and the reviews are the worst of his career at 42%. It’s also shaping up as a second straight miss for Imagine Entertainment, the Ron Howard and Brian Grazer shop behind Whalefall. Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz and Pete Davidson star.
You Can See Everything rounds out the top five with $5 million to $7 million. A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary has beaten its forecast every week since it opened, and at $79.8 million it’s within reach of $90 million.
Ghost Soldier could crash the party. Sony opened William Eubank’s action thriller with Jim Caviezel on Wednesday for Veterans Day, and it’s tracking for $4 million to $8 million.
Also opening are Bleecker Street’s Victorian Psycho, with Maika Monroe as a governess in a gothic manor, and two awards contenders in limited release: Neon’s Paper Tiger, from James Gray with Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller, and IFC’s Mouse, which holds a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Here are Gold Derby’s predicted box-office rankings for the top five over the Nov. 13-15 weekend:
- Ebenezer — $22 million
- Godzilla Minus Zero — $13 million
- The Cat in the Hat — $11 million
- How to Rob a Bank — $7 million
- You Can See Everything — $6 million
Check back Sunday for the actuals and to see how they compared with our predictions.
New releases
Ebenezer
Director: Ti West
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
A thrilling ghost story set in Dickens’ London, following one man’s supernatural journey to face his past, present and future as he fights for a second chance at redemption. The holiday adventure runs one hour, 56 minutes and is rated PG-13. Ebenezer falls in the “rotten” category with a 50% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes; “mixed” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 48.
How to Rob a Bank
Director: David Leitch
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
Bank robbers are posting their heists on social media, causing police to chase them. The action thriller runs two hours and two minutes and is rated R. How to Rob a Bank is certified “rotten” with a 42% score from critics at Rotten Tomatoes; “mixed” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 45.
Ghost Soldier
Director: William Eubank
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
A weapon systems engineer and former Green Beret protects his Wyoming neighbors against a ruthless corporation threatening their rural community. The action-thriller runs one hour, 30 minutes and is rated PG-13. Ghost Soldier is “certified rotten” with a 40% score from critics at Rotten Tomatoes; “mixed” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 41.
Victorian Psycho
Director: Zachary Wigon
Distributor: Bleecker Street
In 1858, an eccentric young governess, Winifred Notty, arrives at the remote gothic manor Ensor House. As Winifred assimilates, staff begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners wonder if something is amiss about this new governess. The horror movie runs one hour, 42 minutes and is rated R. Victorian Psycho is “certified fresh” with a 77% score from critics at Rotten Tomatoes; “mixed” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 53.
Paper Tiger
Director: James Gray
Distributor: Neon
Two brothers pursue the American Dream but get entangled in a dangerous Russian mafia scheme that terrorizes their family, testing their bond as betrayal becomes possible. The crime drama runs one hour, 55 minutes and is rated R. Paper Tiger is “certified fresh” with an 85% score from critics at Rotten Tomatoes; “generally favorable” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 79.
Mouse
Director: Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson
Distributor: IFC Films
In 2002, best friends Minnie and Callie’s relationship is upended on the eve of their senior year. The coming-of-age drama runs two hours and is rated R. Mouse is “certified fresh” with a perfect 100% score from critics at Rotten Tomatoes; “universal acclaim” from critics on Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 89.
2026 box office hits: Every movie that made more than $100 million
