Christmas has come early for Ti West’s Ebenezer, which has made $6.7 million ($10 million AUD) on its opening Friday.

The amount is certainly nothing to sneer at. It puts the production firmly on track to make its projected $18 million over opening weekend in North America alone.

This adaptation of the Charles Dickens cautionary Christmas classic cost Paramount $38 million to produce. The opening numbers may just be the tip of the iceberg, with Deadline forecasting a potential “slow burn” as silly season gets fully underway.

Depp himself is pocketing just $5 million for his work on the production which, according to Just Jared, is a far cry from the whopping $90 million he brought home after the most recent instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Even a small role in the Harry Potter prequel, Fantastic Beasts, earned the actor a reported $16 million.

Depp was fired from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald after The Sun published an article accusing him of beating his then wife, Amber Heard.

He won the highly publicised defamation case that followed against her.

By the end of proceedings, Depp was awarded more than $14 million in compensatory damages.

Heard was awarded $2.8 million in compensatory damages.

According to critic Frank Scheck, Ebenezer “fulfills its ostensible goal of restoring the actor to A-list status,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Depp told PEOPLE that, in terms of mannerisms, his Ebenezer’s hunched appearance wasn’t because the character “needs a chiropractor.” The real reason was far sadder.

“This is a guy who’s trying to make himself invisible to the world,” Depp shared.

The film has landed well thus far with the public, who have given it 90% on the Popcornmeter.

“Welcome back Johnny Depp! This version of A Christmas Carol is darker and gritter than the standard which makes Scrooge’s redemption all the more compelling and impactful,” one viewer wrote. That horror undercurrent may be owing to director Ti West’s history with the macabre, having helmed the X series starring Mia Goth. 

“Ti West paints his vision in beautiful dark colours…Charles Dickens would be proud,” a fan noted. 

“Johnny Depp doesn’t disappoint,” another admitted.

“If I close my eyes I can picture Jack Sparrow saying Hum Bug.”

Critics have been less impressed. The film currently holds just 53% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. 

“A fairly mediocre version of A Christmas Carol… ends up being less humbug and more ho-hum(bug),” critic Jack Martin said.

However, the film fared far better than Amazon MGM Studios’ How to Rob a Bank, which also debuted this weekend. 

Nicholas Hoult (who’s also in the running to be the next James Bond) leads, alongside Zoë Kravitz and Pete Davidson. That social media satire meets heist made just $2.2 million on its opening day, despite costing more than $40 million to produce.”