'Coyote vs. Acme' Rescued From the Vault, Opens at No. 2

Three years after Warner Bros. shelved it, 'Coyote vs. Acme' opened to $15.5 million in second place while 'Spider-Man' stayed No.

Three years after Warner Bros. abruptly canceled any release of the completed Looney Tunes feature, 'Coyote vs. Acme' debuted in North American theaters with an estimated $15.5 million, finishing second for the weekend, according to the Associated Press. The film — a live-action/animation hybrid directed by Dave Green, based on an Ian Frazier New Yorker column about Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation for faulty products — stars Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor and Eric Bauza. Warner Bros. had originally produced the $70 million movie for HBO Max, then preferred a tax write-off, also shelving 'Batgirl' and 'Scoob! Holiday Haunt,' which remain unreleased. After an outcry, the studio put the film up for sale, and Ketchup Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights for about $50 million.

For the fifth weekend in a row, 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' topped the North American box office with $22.2 million, bringing its worldwide total to $2.33 billion and making it the fourth highest-grossing film of all time, per the AP. Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' slid to third in its seventh weekend with $14.3 million, adding $48.6 million overseas for a $1.55 billion global total. The weekend's biggest casualty was Ridley Scott's 'The Dog Stars,' starring Jacob Elordi, which opened in fifth with $8 million for 20th Century Studios — a poor result for a film costing between $70 million and $100 million to make that added just $11.3 million overseas.

The opening was a record for Ketchup Entertainment, whose previous high was 2024's 'The Day the Earth Blew Up,' another Warner-made Looney Tunes castoff, at just a $3.1 million opening. Deadline reports that Ketchup achieved the result with a thrifty marketing spend of around $10 million, outstripping the box office of a Ridley Scott film backed by a major studio. Deadline also notes the $15.4 million start edges past Warner's 2021 hybrid 'Tom & Jerry' ($14.1 million opening) and credits 'fiery online supporters who sounded the alarm and showed up.' Director Dave Green declared victory on social media Friday: "'Coyote vs. Acme' is finally, gloriously, in theaters now ... Which means one thing. WE WON."

Reception was strong on both sides of the aisle: moviegoers gave the film an "A" CinemaScore, and it rated 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, per the AP. Deadline, citing Screen Engine/PostTrak, reports a 93% positive score and 82% definite recommend. The film opened in 3,575 theaters — Rotten Tomatoes editorial pointedly notes that is more than the zero Warner Bros. was going to release it in, and that the start beats 2003's 'Looney Tunes: Back in Action,' which opened to $9.3 million. Rotten Tomatoes also reports critics shown the film weeks in advance responded with 96% approval, and its opening ranks 17th among films debuting in the final August weekend slot.

Deadline frames the opening as proof that "when there's an ecstatic fanbase in the social ether, definitely embrace and stoke it," noting Ketchup paid more than suitors including Paramount and Netflix to save the Dave Green film produced by Chris DeFaria and James Gunn. Rotten Tomatoes is more skeptical, asking whether everyone who protested the shelving actually bought tickets, and warning that otherwise "Warner Bros. gets their write-off and a payoff from Ketchup." Analyst David A. Gross of FranchiseRe tells the AP the reception is excellent and the release should set up good ancillary business in kids' viewing, where the film should recoup its investment. Deadline adds Ketchup sold off foreign rights for around $20 million.

Deadline reports Ketchup deliberately chose the end-of-summer date to play into the Labor Day holiday, after the fireworks of 'Spider-Man' and 'The Odyssey,' with integrations around the World Cup semifinals, WWE's SummerSlam, the Little League World Series and 'America's Got Talent.' Rotten Tomatoes notes strong holdovers could benefit from a Labor Day bump, as 'Spider-Man' closes on the all-time domestic record pace and 'The Odyssey' eyes $600 million domestic. The full estimated top 10, per the AP: 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' ($22.2M), 'Coyote vs. Acme' ($15.5M), 'The Odyssey' ($14.3M), 'Insidious: Out of the Further' ($10.1M), 'The Dog Stars' ($8M), 'Buddy' ($5.4M), 'The End of Oak Street' ($5M), 'PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie' ($4.9M), 'Mutiny' ($2.8M) and 'Tony' ($2.2M).