‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Achieves Highest Audience Grade for Any Looney Tunes Movie

Few films arrive in theaters with as much emotional weight as ‘Coyote vs. Acme’, and even fewer manage to transform that weight into a true success. When a finished film is shelved solely for tax purposes, the chances of it ever reaching audiences, let alone winning them over, seem slim.

However, ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ has spent years defying those expectations. This live-action and animated hybrid, which was infamously pulled from release by Warner Bros. Discovery in 2023, found new life thanks to public outcry that led to a new distributor. It finally hit theaters this week, carrying an underdog narrative that resonates with its titular character.

This narrative just received its most satisfying chapter yet. The film debuted with an A grade on CinemaScore, marking the highest score any Looney Tunes movie has ever received from opening-weekend audiences.

This achievement builds on an already impressive critical run. ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ entered its wide release with a 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes based on over 100 reviews, making it not only the best-scored animated release of the year but also one of the highest-rated wide releases of the entire calendar. This score also established it as the highest-rated Looney Tunes film in the franchise’s modern history, surpassing 2024’s well-received ‘The Day the Earth Blew Up.’

The film’s journey to release has become a cautionary tale about studio decision-making in the streaming era. Warner Bros. shelved the completed $70 million production in November 2023 to claim an estimated $30 million tax write-down, a move that drew immediate backlash from filmmakers and fans, especially given reports that the movie had tested well above average for a family film.

Director Dave Green’s project ultimately found new life when Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights for approximately $50 million in March 2025, paving the way for its eventual theatrical release. The company, which also released ‘The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,’ clearly recognized the potential in a story that combined nostalgic charm with authentic underdog appeal.

The film follows Wile E. Coyote, voiced by Eric Bauza, as he hires a struggling lawyer, played by Will Forte, to sue the Acme Corporation over its consistently faulty products. John Cena portrays Acme’s opposing counsel, while Lana Condor plays Forte’s niece and fellow associate at the firm.

What makes this response particularly remarkable is how rare it is for both critics and general audiences to align so enthusiastically on the same release. Reviewers have lauded the film’s blend of nostalgic cartoon chaos with genuine emotional depth, with many drawing comparisons to ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ for its seamless integration of animation and live action.

For a film that almost never saw the light of day, achieving both the best Rotten Tomatoes score in its franchise’s history and the highest CinemaScore of any Looney Tunes movie is a significant vindication for everyone who fought to see it released. It’s an outcome that feels almost too fitting for a story literally about persistence overcoming overwhelming odds.

With positive word of mouth clearly working in its favor, ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ now faces the real challenge of converting that goodwill into box office success in the weeks to come.

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