18 Years Ago Today, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s Last Great Movie Was Released (And It Broke All the Rules)

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Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are a famous director-actor duo, having worked together on eight films since their first project, Edward Scissorhands, in 1990. Though some of their films, like Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, and Corpse Bride, were critically acclaimed, not all were major successes. Many consider their last big hit to have been released on this day in 2007.

Released in the US on December 21, 2007, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was one of the final films made by director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp together. While they went on to make Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows, Sweeney Todd remains one of their most famous and well-regarded works. The film stars Depp as Benjamin Barker, a barber seeking revenge on Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) for a past injustice. Based on the popular stage musical and play, Sweeney Todd was a wonderfully crafted adaptation.

Why Sweeney Todd Is Tim Burton & Johnny Depp’s Best Collaboration

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp had collaborated on musicals previously, but their 2007 film, Sweeney Todd, was a significant departure. The movie is notably darker and more disturbing than their earlier work, featuring gruesome murders committed by the barber, Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp), on Fleet Street. His partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), then turns the bodies into meat pies. With themes of murder, revenge, and even cannibalism, all presented within a surprisingly entertaining musical format, Sweeney Todd is a truly twisted and unsettling film.

When Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street came out, it was a critical and commercial success, earning $153.4 million worldwide on a budget of just $50 million. It currently has an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of Tim Burton’s best-reviewed films as a director, surpassed only by Frankenweenie (87%), Edward Scissorhands (91%), and Ed Wood (92%). Lately, Sweeney Todd has become even more popular and is now considered one of the greatest movie musicals ever made. It also won an Academy Award for its art direction.

Despite its dark and shocking content, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has earned a lot of praise, which really highlights the talent of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp when they work together. Even though the movie came out 18 years ago – and is based on a play from 1970 – it remains one of the greatest movie musicals ever made. It’s been 13 years since Burton and Depp last collaborated, and fans are hoping they’ll work together again soon.

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2025-12-21 19:40