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

Horror and fantasy filmmaker Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have collaborated many times over the years, but only a few have been huge hits, and their last smash-hit released 18 years ago today. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have collaborated on eight feature films since Depp starred as the titular character in Edward Scissorhands back in 1990. While the likes of Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, and the stop-motion animated Corpse Bride received positive reviews, not all of their collaborations were so lucky. Arguably their last great collaboration was released on this day in 2007.

Released in the United States on December 21, 2007, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street marked one of the last collaborations between Burton and Depp. The movie was followed by Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows, but Sweeney Todd is one of the pair’s most iconic, notable, and celebrated movies. Sweeney Todd starred Depp as Benjamin Barker, a vengeful barber who returns to London to seek vengeance on Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who wrongfully convicted and exiled him years prior. Based on the stage musical and previous play of the same name, Sweeney Todd was a brilliant adaptation.

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

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp had developed musical movies together before Sweeney Todd, but their 2007 movie completely changed the game. Sweeney Todd is no doubt one of the most violent and shocking collaborations between Burton and Depp, as Barker slaughtered his customers at his barbershop on Fleet Street, and his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) processed their corpses into pies to get rid of the bodies. Boasting not just murder and revenge, but also cannibalism, all dressed up in a dark but entertaining musical, Sweeney Todd is incredibly twisted and unnerving.

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Upon its release, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street earned critical acclaim, and garnered $153.4 million at the global box office on a budget of only $50 million. The movie holds an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it Burton’s fourth-highest-rated movie as a director behind Frankenweenie (87%), Edward Scissorhands (91%), and Ed Wood (92%). More recently, however, Sweeney Todd has gained even more notoriety, and has been celebrated as one of the greatest movie musicals of all time. It even earned an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.

It’s surprising a movie so overtly violent and controversial has earned so much respect and admiration, but this just goes to show how incredible Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are when they team up. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street might be celebrating its 18th birthday today, and is based on an even older original play from 1970, but it still holds up as one of the best musicals ever even today. It’s unclear whether Tim Burton and Johnny Depp will team up again—they haven’t in 13 years—but we would love to see these collaborators back in full force.

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