‘Coyote vs. Acme’ and ‘The Dog Stars’ Post Strong Thursday Previews as Box Office Battle Begins

Few films arrive in theaters with a backstory as dramatic as ‘Coyote vs. Acme.’ The completed live-action and animation hybrid sat shelved for nearly two years after Warner Bros. Discovery pulled it in late 2023 as part of a tax write-off strategy, a decision that sparked outrage from fans, filmmakers, and industry watchers who argued a finished movie deserved a real shot at an audience.

That backlash eventually paid off, with Ketchup Entertainment acquiring the film for roughly $50 million and setting its theatrical debut for August 28. The film now arrives in a crowded late-summer marketplace, opening the same weekend as Ridley Scott’s postapocalyptic thriller ‘The Dog Stars,’ starring Jacob Elordi, and going up against the ongoing box office dominance of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day.’

Early numbers suggest both new releases are off to a solid start. ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ pulled in $1.7 million from Thursday previews, while ‘The Dog Stars’ brought in $850,000 over the same period, giving both films a modest but respectable head start heading into their first full weekend in release.

Industry tracking for ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ has been notably scattered ahead of its release, reflecting genuine uncertainty about how the film’s unusual journey to theaters might translate into ticket sales. Estimates for its domestic opening have ranged anywhere from $6.5 million on the low end to as high as $23 million, depending on which tracking service is doing the projecting.

That uncertainty exists despite the film earning strong reviews, currently holding a certified fresh 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes across 128 critics. The response has been strong enough that some outlets have called it one of the best live-action and animation hybrids ever made. Marketing for the film has also overperformed expectations, with its April trailer reportedly clearing 25 million views, described as an indie box office record for trailer engagement.

Ketchup Entertainment’s own history offers little precedent for what a hit might look like for the distributor. The company’s previous biggest release, Robert Rodriguez’s ‘Hypnotic,’ earned just $16 million domestically against a $65 million budget back in 2023, a very different scale than what ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ is now chasing.

‘Coyote vs. Acme’ isn’t just opening domestically this weekend, either. Altitude is releasing the film in the UK and Ireland on the same day, with a simultaneous rollout across Latin America adding even more markets to watch as opening weekend numbers come together.

Meanwhile, ‘The Dog Stars‘ enters the weekend as another notable new release, with Scott’s direction and Elordi’s lead performance drawing attention from critics looking for a sharper, more grounded entry into the postapocalyptic genre. Both films will be competing directly with ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ which has continued to dominate the box office throughout its extended run in theaters.

Given how unpredictable the tracking has been for ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ specifically, these Thursday preview numbers offer an early, if imperfect, signal for how the weekend might shake out. A film that once seemed destined to disappear entirely earning even a modest opening would represent a genuine win for everyone who fought to see it released.

Both films also arrive at a moment when late-summer box office competition tends to thin out, giving newer releases a real chance to carve out an audience without going head-to-head with another major tentpole. That timing could work in favor of either title, especially if strong reviews for ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ and buzz around Scott’s latest thriller continue to build through the weekend via word of mouth.

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