SATURDAY AM: Paramount is still looking at a $20M opening for the Johnny Depp comeback movie, Ebenezer, but rivals see it lower. The hope is that families show up today as we hear the Ti West genre fans didn’t come out in droves last night; Friday and previews at $6.7M. One indication that it’s appealing to families is that the AMC Disney Springs is the pic’s highest grossing location with close to $25K so far.

Other good news is that the movie is playing evenly throughout the country: East, South, Midwest, South Central, and Mountain. You never want a movie that just plays on the coasts. PLFs are accounting for 36% of the gross. CinemaScore is great A- with a 65% definite recommend which is alright on Screen Engine/Rentrak’s PostTrak, which could mean a slow burn. Diversity demos show 48% Caucasian, good 28% Latino and Hispanic turnout, with 12% Black and 6% Asian American. Big chuck is older skewing with 37% over 45 while the 18-34 set is 40%. Overall, the pic is leaning 52% female, with women over 25 the biggest demo at 41%, which is not surprising on a Depp movie.

Columbia Pictures and Mandalay’s action-thriller Ghost Soldier posted $1.55M on Friday from 2,558 locations for a $4.9M 3-day and $8M five-day. The core audience likes it at 90%, they just didn’t show up in droves. The pic at net $18M, co-financed by TSG is cheaper than Amazon MGM Studio’s How to Rob a Bank which cost $40M before P&A. Older audience here at 49% over 45 with 57% guys and 55% Caucasian, 22% Latino and Hispanic, 14% Black, and 4% Asian American. Pic is playing best in South and South Central where close to 40% of the gross is coming from versus a norm of 27% for other movies in the marketplace. The Harkins Estrella Falls 16 in Arizona is the leading single-location with $4K since Friday.

The David Leitch directed action movie How to Rob a Bank needs to rob more to pump up its gross after a $2.2M Friday/preview for what looks to be a $4.7M opening. CinemaScore is a B-, which is lower than Leitch’s last movie, The Fall Guy, which landed an A-. Male leaning at 57%, with the 18-34 demo at 66%. Men over 25 were the biggest at 37%, followed by women over 25 at 28% and then men under 25 at 21%. The movie needed more of the latter to show up to make this work. Caucasians are 42%, Latino and Hispanic at 26%, Black at 15%, and Asian American at 9%. PLFs repping around 27% of the weekend so far. AMC Waterfront 22 in Pennsylvania is the top grossing venue with $13K.

It’s a low weekend at the box office with around $80M for all movies, though interestingly enough, it’s +8% from a year ago when Lionsgate’s Now You See Me: Now You Don’t opened to $21M. It feels like this is the calm before next weekend’s storm, which will be Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping which many believe has a shot to open at $100M.

We’ll have more updates and the chart for you later this morning.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Right now, Paramount’s Ebenezer, looks healthy for a Johnny Depp non-franchise opening with $20M+ after a $7.1M Friday/previews.

That’s around where the actor’s 2015 Black Mass ($22.6M) and 2009 Public Enemies ($25.2M) began. Sure, those were R-rated movies, but a $20M beginning for any Hollywood star-driven vehicle is surely no bah-humbug. The Ti West directed movie is booked at 3,535 theaters and will hopefully be further fattened like a goose from its availability in Dolby Cinema, PLFs, 4DX and D-box.

Second belongs to the now Paramount owned Warner Bros Animation’s The Cat in the Hat at 4,003 theaters with a second Friday of $2.9M, and 3-day of $12M, -40%, for a running cume of $38.7M by Sunday.

Third is Gids’ second weekend of Godzilla Minus Zero at 3,246 which is having a steeper fall than imagined. Sources beloved it would ease -60% in weekend 2 and the movie is acting more like a popular anime pic’s second weekend hold, -74% with $8M after a second Friday in the $2.1M-$2.4M range. At that level, the ten day-cume by Sunday would be $48.5M.

Sony’s release of Prime Focus’ Ramayana: Rise of a Legend at 1,110 theaters is posting a second Friday of $1.4M, and second weekend of $5M in fourth, -44%, for a running cume of $23.6M by EOD Sunday.

No. 5 is a toss-up between three pics: A24’s fifth frame of You Can See Everything at 1,845 theaters with a 3-day of $4.5M, -46%, after a $1.45M Friday. The running cume for the Lance Oppenheimer and Nathan Fielder co-directed movie looks to land at $87.5M by Sunday.

The No. 5 spot could also belong to Sony’s Jim Caviezel action movie Ghost Soldier at 2,558 theaters is seeing $1.3M today, a 3-day of $4M, and 5-day of total of $7.1M.

Amazon MGM Studios and 87North’s action movie How to Rob a Bank is in need of a brinks truck with $2M today, which includes previews for a $4M opening at 2,810.

FRIDAY AM: The first big greenlight of Paramount’s new administration since last year’s Skydance merger, Ti West’s edgy PG-13 Ebenezer, saw $1.5M in previews that began at 2PM. The movie for some time has been primed to be Johnny Depp’s comeback at the box office as far as non-franchises go, Paramount lighting that wick back at San Diego Comic-Con with the 3x Oscar nominee’s surprise method actor appearance which brought fireworks to the confab. Ebenezer heading into the weekend hopes to make at least $20M for the weekend for a No. 1 take, and another $20M from 63 markets including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom.

We haven’t had many Christmas-themed family movies post Covid, so comps are hard. Ebenezer‘s take is under the $3.7M previews of Amazon MGM Studio’s Red One which starred Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans (that had action elements where as Ebenezer is spooky, so a hard comp there) and it’s under the $2.2M made by Universal/Illumination’s animated The Grinch back in 2018.

Critics aren’t wild about the net $38M take of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at 53% Rotten. Exits last night were 4.5 stars and a 63% definite recommend on PostTrak. Note critics are never really wild about Christmas anything, i.e. Warner Bros evergreen The Polar Express (55% Rotten, which was declared a dud when it came out but grossed $329M WW), The Grinch (60% fresh), Universal’s live action Jim Carrey How the Grinch Stole Christmas (50% Rotten), Red One (29% Rotten) and even the fun and raunchy Office Christmas Party (41%).

Sony opened Wednesday the Jim Caviezel action movie Ghost Soldier about a former Green Beret who protects his Wyoming neighbors against a ruthless corporation threatening their rural community. It’s booked at 2,558 theaters and opened Wednesday with previews to $2.3M and posted another $800K yesterday for a $3.1M running cume. Those who bought tickets gave it a 90% Rotten Tomatoes audience score and 4 stars on PostTrak while critics are sorry they were taken hostage at 42% Rotten.

Amazon MGM Studios’ has the 87North action comedy How to Rob a Bank from the Fall Guy and Bullet Train director David Leitch which robbed $900K in previews that began yesterday at 4PM. The movie, which stars Nicholas Hoult and Zoë Kravitz, moved from its Labor Day weekend frame to here in order to get more people. It’s only expected to post in the single digits over Friday-Sunday. Critics felt that their time was robbed at 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. The pic cost a reported net $40M.

One concern by some is that both Ghost Soldier and How to a Rob a Bank are going after the same male audience, though Ghost Soldier is clearly older. In terms of post Covid comps, How to Rob a Bank‘s preview figure here is on par with Universal’s Renfield which grossed $900K in previews for an $8M opening.

Pic’s blurb: Bank robbers are posting their heists on social media, causing police to chase them.

Also wide this weekend at 1,206 theaters is Bleecker Street’s release of their Cannes title Victorian Psycho which is expected to do in the single digits. The Maika Monroe and Jason Isaacs movie is 75% fresh on RT.

Toho and GKids‘ Godzilla Minus Zero ended its first global week with $73.6M we hear, which is comprised of $40.5M first week in U.S./Canada and $18.6M in Japan. We told you yesterday that Sony and Prime Focus’ Ramayana: Part 1 clicked past $100M global, the bulk of that made in India. First week of Warner Bros Animation’s The Cat in the Hat is $26.7M.