NEW YORK – Three years after Warner Bros. pulled the plug on “Coyote vs. Acme,” the once-shelved Looney Tunes movie found a second chance in theaters — and made the most of it. Revived by Ketchup Entertainment, the film opened over the weekend with an estimated $15.5 million in ticket sales.
Still, nothing could catch “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which continued its box office dominance for a fifth straight weekend. The superhero blockbuster earned $22.2 million across theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates released Sunday. Its global haul now stands at $2.33 billion, placing it fourth on the all-time worldwide box office chart.
Among the weekend’s new releases, “Coyote vs. Acme” led the pack, landing in second place after years of uncertainty and industry debate over its fate.
The news was far less encouraging for Ridley Scott’s action drama “The Dog Stars.” Starring Jacob Elordi, the 20th Century Studios release follows a pilot and his German Shepherd as they navigate life after a global pandemic. The film debuted in fifth place with $8 million domestically and collected another $11.3 million overseas — a disappointing start for a production reportedly budgeted between $70 million and $100 million.
For “Coyote vs. Acme,” however, the opening marked a respectable comeback. Warner Bros. had decided in 2023 not to release the completed film, opting instead for a tax write-off on a project initially developed for HBO Max. The studio made similar moves with “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.
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Top 10 movies by domestic box office
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.
6. “Buddy,” $5.4 million.
7. “The End of Oak Street,” $5 million.
8. “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie,” $4.9 million.
9. “Mutiny,” $2.8 million.
10. “Tony,” $2.2 million.
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