Warner Bros. axed 'Coyote vs. Acme' three years ago for a tax write off

Three years after Warner Bros. abruptly canned “Coyote vs. Acme,” the Looney Tunes feature film that was given a new lease on life by Ketchup Entertainment debuted with an estimated $15.5 million in ticket sales over the weekend.

For the fifth weekend in a row, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” topped the North American box office. It grossed $22.2 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday, bringing its worldwide total to $2.33 billion and making it the fourth highest-grossing film of all time.

“Coyote vs. Acme,” which had been relegated to the dust heap, fared best of the newcomers, debuting in second place.

The Ridley Scott action drama “The Dog Stars,” starring Jacob Elordi, flopped. The film, about a pilot and German Shepherd who survive a global pandemic, opened in fifth place with $8 million for 20th Century Studios. It added $11.3 million overseas, a poor result for a film that cost between $70 million and $100 million to make.

“Coyote vs. Acme,” however, scored a decent, hard-earned opening. In 2023, Warner Bros. canceled any release of the completed film, preferring to take a tax write off on a movie originally produced for its streaming service, HBO Max. Warner also shelved “Batgirl” and “Scoob! Holiday Haunt,” both of which remain unreleased.

“Coyote vs. Acme,” based on an Ian Frazier “Shouts and Murmurs” New Yorker column, is about Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation for its faulty products. It stars Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor and Eric Bauza.

The film, a hybrid of live-action and animation directed by Dave Green, cost $70 million to make. But despite good test screening scores, Warner Bros. opted to ax the completed film. After an outcry, the studio put the film up for sale. Early last year, Ketchup Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights for about $50 million.

For the makers of the film, just getting released was a victory.

“‘Coyote vs. Acme’ is finally, gloriously, in theaters now,” Green said on social media Friday. “Which means one thing. WE WON.”

Reviews and audience scores were also good. Moviegoers gave it an “A” CinemaScore. Critics were just as enthusiastic. On Rotten Tomatoes, it rated 95% fresh.

While the result might have counted as a disappointment for some $70 million movies, the opening weekend for “Coyote vs. Acme” was the best ever for Ketchup. The indie distributor’s previous high was 2024’s “The Day the Earth Blew Up” (a $3.1 million opening), another Warner-made Looney Tunes castoff.

“The box office numbers are fair, but the reception is excellent and the release should set up good ancillary business for kids’ viewing, where the film should recoup its investment,” said David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe.

“The Odyssey,” in its seventh weekend, slid to third place with $14.3 million. It remains unusually strong overseas, where the Christopher Nolan movie grossed $48.6 million over the weekend. Altogether, the Universal Pictures release has collected $1.55 billion in global sales.

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:

1. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” $22.2 million.

2. “Coyote vs. Acme,” $15.5 million.

3. “The Odyssey,” $14.3 million.

4. “Insidious: Out of the Further,” $10.1 million.

5. “The Dog Stars,” $8 million.

7. “The End of Oak Street,” $5 million.

8. “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie,” $4.9 million.