‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Surpasses $100 Million at the Box Office in a Remarkable Comeback
Hollywood has a penchant for underdog stories, and few films this year have captured that essence as vividly as ‘Coyote vs. Acme’. What began as a completed film destined for obscurity has transformed into one of the most surprising box office triumphs of the year, defying a studio decision that nearly kept it from reaching audiences.
The film’s path to theaters was anything but ordinary, characterized by cancellation, public outcry, and a rescue that felt more like a plot twist than standard industry practice. This backstory has only added significance to what has now become a true milestone for the project and everyone who fought for its release.
According to recent reports, ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ has officially crossed the $100,000,000 mark at the global box office, marking a stunning turnaround for a film that Warner Bros. initially intended to shelve for tax reasons. This live-action and animation hybrid, inspired by Ian Frazier’s 1990 story in The New Yorker, was saved by independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment after Warner Bros. abandoned its release plans in 2023.
The movie was completed back in 2022, but Warner Bros. announced a year later that it would be shelved, prompting significant backlash from filmmakers, artists, and animation enthusiasts who viewed the decision as wasteful. Ketchup Entertainment eventually intervened, acquiring the film’s worldwide distribution rights for a reported $50,000,000, giving the completed project a second chance to connect with audiences.
That decision has clearly paid off. Surpassing the nine-figure mark places ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ well beyond expectations for a film that many industry observers initially dismissed entirely, especially considering how publicly Warner Bros. had expressed its lack of confidence in the project.
The marketing team celebrated this achievement in a joint statement. “We’ve been so proud to be part of the Ketchup Entertainment team for the past three years, and ‘Coyote Vs Acme’ was a labor of love for all of us. Congratulations to Gareth and the entire Ketchup team on reaching the incredible $100 million global box office milestone,” said Amanda Lundberg and Tom Piechura of 42West, according to Yahoo Entertainment.
“It’s a tremendous achievement, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the milestone with Ketchup Entertainment, filmmakers, cast and fans, as well as our colleagues who worked on the film,” the statement continued. This sentiment reflects how personally invested the marketing and distribution teams became in the film’s underdog journey toward theatrical release.
Wile E. Coyote makes his case in this exclusive clip from #CoyoteVsAcme – Only in theaters August 28.
Tickets on sale now at Fandango! https://t.co/gSyeamKpUh pic.twitter.com/I1zgR1szTr
— Fandango (@Fandango) August 6, 2026
‘Coyote vs. Acme’ reimagines the classic Looney Tunes dynamic between Wile E. Coyote and the Acme Corporation through a unique live-action and animated hybrid lens. The narrative follows Wile E. Coyote as he teams up with a billboard accident lawyer to confront Acme’s slick corporate counsel, finally seeking justice for decades of chaotic mishaps at the company’s hands.
Directed by Dave Green from a screenplay by Samy Burch, the film features Will Forte, Lana Condor, and John Cena, with a story credited to James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, and Burch. Gunn also produced the film alongside Chris DeFaria, establishing a direct connection to one of the industry’s most vocal advocates for its release during the shelving controversy.
Notably, ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ has now outperformed Warner Bros.’ own legacy sequel ‘Practical Magic 2’, which starred Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman and grossed $76,800,000 worldwide after its second weekend. This comparison carries a particular irony, given that the studio invested significant star power and marketing into its sequel while nearly discarding the smaller Looney Tunes-inspired project entirely.
With a reported production budget of $70,000,000 covered by Warner Bros. before Ketchup’s $50,000,000 rights acquisition, the film’s route to profitability remains complex due to traditional box office calculations. Nevertheless, crossing $100,000,000 signifies a substantial symbolic victory for a project that industry insiders once believed audiences would never have the opportunity to see.
The film’s box office success serves as a powerful reminder of what can occur when audiences and industry professionals unite to challenge a studio’s decision to bury completed work. For everyone who opposed the original shelving plan, witnessing ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ surpass $100,000,000 offers a genuinely satisfying vindication.
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