Why Scrooge is on Venmo: ‘Ebenezer’ promotion raises questions about payments
The account for Johnny Depp’s upcoming Scrooge film invites money requests, but Variety found those requests failed while payments appeared in its public feed.
Ebenezer Scrooge has a Venmo account as part of the promotion for Paramount’s upcoming film ‘Ebenezer,’ Variety reported on October 22. Fans were invited to request money from the fictional miser, but Variety found that requests failed while the account’s public feed showed payments made to it, raising questions about where any money sent might go.
Two Variety staffers who tried to request money saw an error saying the transaction could not be completed. The film’s official X account had asked, ‘Think he’s feeling generous?’ and linked to the Scrooge profile in a post accompanied by a video showing people making requests and receiving stingy payouts.
What the Scrooge Venmo account shows
Variety reported that the account’s public feed displayed payments addressed to Scrooge. One public payment message said it was ‘For cheers and joy! (And maybe a little luck please)’; another described a ‘Retainer Fee’ for the Ghost of Christmas Past to haunt the sender’s exes. The messages fit the film’s Christmas theme, but they do not establish how much money changed hands.
It was unclear who would receive the money, how much users had sent or whether the account was actually transferring payments, Variety said. The outlet contacted Paramount Pictures to ask whether the account had been live and then stopped working, or whether it was solely a promotional device. Its report included no response from the studio.
How the promotion fits the new Scrooge film
Paramount lists ‘Ebenezer’ for a November 13, 2026, theatrical release. Ti West directs, with Johnny Depp playing Scrooge in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol.’ The studio’s logline promises: ‘The name you know, the story you don’t.’
The trailer described by Variety leans into the story’s darker side, showing Scrooge confronted by frightening ghosts and buried alive. West previously directed the ‘X’ horror trilogy. The cast also includes Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley and Ian McKellen; Nathaniel Halpern adapted the screenplay.
For now, the campaign’s invitation is straightforward: the film account directs people to request money from a character famous for refusing to part with it. The payment feed adds an unexpected twist to that joke because, as Variety observed, users appeared to be sending money toward Scrooge instead.
Read in depth: Entertainment
Why You Can See Everything is gaining ground: a Wednesday box-office lead and sold-out UK screenings
Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary took an estimated $2.3 million at the US box office on Wednesday, while British cinema chains added screenings ahead of its...
Netflix says its international shows are working as Peter Rice takes over content
Netflix executives praised local productions and pointed to broadcaster deals with TF1 and Globo during an October 20 earnings call, while acknowledging that the U.S. slate...
Sources and context
- ‘Ebenezer’ Creates a Real Venmo Profile for Scrooge, Which Looks to Be Accepting Money But Not Dishing It OutVariety
- EbenezerParamount Pictures
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.