For a film that was not supposed to see the light of day, “Coyote vs. Acme” did pretty well, debuting with an estimated $15.5 million in ticket sales.
The film took about $70 million to make and had good test screenings, The Associated Press reported. But despite the positive chatter, Warner Bros. shelved the film instead of releasing it as intended for HBO Max.
The live-action hybrid animated film starring Will Forte, John Cena and Eric Bauza ended up hitting big screens through Ketchup Entertainment, which got the distribution rights for about $50 million.
Rolling Stone likened “Coyote vs. Acme” to “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” with Wile E. Coyote’s inability to catch the Roadrunner finally finding out about a larger Acme conspiracy. Some surmise that Acme could be a stand-in for Warner Bros.
“There are some people who argue — and they’re right — [Warner Bros.] are a business,” Forte said. “They can put their money in and do what they want with the product. But at the same time, why did you OK this movie in the first place?”
Filmmaker Dave Green said on X getting the film seen “means one thing. WE WON.”
Moviegoers said it was more than that, rating it 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
“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,” David Gross, publisher of box office newsletter FranchiseRe, said, according to the AP.
Here are the rankings for the weekend at the North American box office:
- “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” $22.2 million
- “Coyote vs. Acme,” $15.5 million
- “The Odyssey,” $14.3 million
- “Insidious: Out of the Further,” $10.1 million
- “The Dog Stars,” $8 million
- “Buddy,” $5.4 million
- “The End of Oak Street,” $5 million
- “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie,” $4.9 million
- “Mutiny,” $2.8 million
- “Tony,” $2.2 million
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
