‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Debuts on Rotten Tomatoes With an Amazing Score After Years in Warner Bros. Purgatory

Few films in recent memory have generated as much genuine outrage from the movie industry as a project that was never even meant to see the light of day. When a studio shelves a finished movie purely for a tax write-off, it tends to strike a nerve, both with filmmakers who see their work as disposable and with audiences who never get the chance to judge for themselves.

That’s exactly what happened to ‘Coyote vs. Acme,’ the live-action/animated Looney Tunes courtroom comedy that Warner Bros. infamously pulled from its release calendar in November 2023. Despite having a finished, post-production-ready film with a $72 million budget, the studio opted to write it off entirely rather than release it, a decision that sparked immediate backlash from directors, actors, and industry figures who saw it as a troubling sign for original filmmaking.

That backlash ultimately paid off. Following a secret screening that generated buzz and reportedly drew interest from major players including Amazon MGM Studios and Netflix, distribution rights were sold to Ketchup Entertainment in March 2025 for $50 million, finally putting the film on a real path to theaters.

Now, just over two weeks before its August 28 nationwide release, ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ has debuted with an amazing 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on the film’s earliest critic reviews. For a movie that Warner Bros. once deemed not worth releasing at all, the unanimous early reception feels like vindication nobody could have predicted.

Directed by Dave Green and written by Samy Burch, the film follows Wile E. Coyote as he sues the Acme Corporation after decades of failed products led to his repeated, cartoonish demise, teaming up with lawyer Kevin Avery, played by Will Forte, to take on Acme’s slick corporate counsel, played by John Cena. The cast also includes Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Luis Guzmán, Martha Kelly, and P.J. Byrne rounding out the ensemble.

Reviews have praised the film’s ability to blend legal-drama parody with genuine reverence for the Looney Tunes’ slapstick roots. Metro awarded the film a full five-star rating, calling it a spiritual successor to ‘Space Jam’ that captures the same zany energy that made the original cartoons beloved, while other outlets have highlighted its clever mix of humor and unexpectedly heartfelt character work.

Not every review has been entirely glowing, however. Variety’s take on the film noted that while it succeeds as a nostalgic piece of cartoon fun, it lacks some of the anarchic chaos that defined the Looney Tunes shorts it’s paying tribute to, offering a more measured counterpoint to the overwhelming critical praise elsewhere.

With reviews this strong landing well ahead of its theatrical debut, industry watchers have started wondering whether ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ could pose a real challenge to ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s’ hold on the box office when it opens later this month. Given the film’s unusual journey from canceled tax write-off to critically adored release, its box office performance will likely be watched even more closely than a typical family film debut.

For a movie that Warner Bros. once determined wasn’t worth putting in front of audiences, ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ now stands as a rare Hollywood underdog story, proving that sometimes the industry gets it wrong the first time around.

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