‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Box Office Just Proved Warner Bros. Wrong in the Best Way Possible

Hollywood love a good comeback story, but few in recent memory have played out quite like this one. A finished movie, shelved for a tax write-off before audiences ever got the chance to see it, has spent the past several months clawing its way back from the brink of nonexistence.

That journey started in late 2023, when Warner Bros. shelved the completed ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ as part of a broader cost-cutting write-off, sparking public outrage from fans and even a statement from star Will Forte pleading for the film’s release. Independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment eventually stepped in, acquiring worldwide rights for a reported $50 million after previously reviving another shelved Looney Tunes project, ‘The Day the Earth Blew Up’.

Now that gamble appears to be paying off in a big way. ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ just delivered a strong second weekend at the domestic box office, earning an estimated $15.3 million to $15.4 million over the four-day Labor Day frame, a drop of only around 27 to 29% from its opening weekend.

That kind of hold is notably steadier than comparable family releases have managed in the past, and it has pushed the film’s domestic total north of $37 million just ten days into release. The film’s opening weekend of roughly $15.5 million already marked the biggest debut in Ketchup Entertainment’s history, surpassing the studio’s previous best set by ‘The Day the Earth Blew Up.’

Audience reception has been a major driver of that momentum. The Dave Green-directed hybrid earned an A CinemaScore from opening weekend crowds along with a 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, strong marks that industry analysts say should help the film build steady word-of-mouth business over time.

David A. Gross, publisher of the box office newsletter FranchiseRe, noted that the box office numbers are modest but the reception has been excellent, and the release should set up solid ancillary business for kids’ viewing, which he said should help the film recoup its investment.

The film’s production cost has been reported between $70 million and $72 million meaning Ketchup Entertainment still has real ground to cover before turning a profit given estimated break-even costs in the $120 million range once theater splits are factored in, according to Yahoo Entertainment. Still, combined with reported foreign presales, the studio appears optimistic about recouping its investment theatrically.

Ketchup Entertainment CEO Gareth West struck an enthusiastic tone when the acquisition was first finalized, saying the deal with Warner Bros. Pictures allowed the studio to bring the film to audiences worldwide, and calling ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ “a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern storytelling” that captures the spirit of the classic Looney Tunes characters while introducing them to a new generation, according to a statement shared via Sandler’s Handlings.

‘Coyote vs. Acme’ stars Will Forte as an attorney representing Wile E. Coyote in a lawsuit against the Acme Corporation, alongside John Cena, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, and Eric Bauza voicing the iconic coyote himself, with cameos from beloved Looney Tunes characters woven throughout.

The film’s box office run has become as much a story about redemption for its distributor as it has for the film itself, given how close the project came to never reaching theaters at all. For a movie that fans practically willed into existence, watching it hold strong against heavyweight competition like ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ feels like a genuinely satisfying payoff.

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