'Coyote vs. Acme' Box Office Blows Up WB's $30M Write-Off - Animation Magazine

After just two weeks of release, the once-shelved Looney Tunes hybrid feature Coyote vs. Acme has successfully pled its case, surpassing the $30 million that Warner Bros. Pictures traded it for back in 2023. The Ketchup Entertainment release came through Labor Day weekend at No. 3 and has now earned $39.9M yalnızca yurt içi gişede.

Wile E. Coyote’s corporate court battle is also rolling out internationally, and has reached a worldwide total of $50.89M, with key markets such as Oceania still to open.

Coyote vs. Acme was originally announced as an HBO Max original, wrapped filming in 2022, and was put back in the can in 2023 when Warner Bros. opted to cancel its release for a $30M tax write-down — part of cost-cutting measures after its $43 billion merger with Discovery. The production reportedly had a $70M budget.

Fans of the classic cartoons were disappointed by the news, and rallied in support of its rescue alongside industry figures like Oscar-winning Spider-Verse creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Warner Bros. decided to offer Coyote vs. Acme up to outside distributors, and Ketchup won with a $50M bid last year. Ketchup previously released another Looney Tunes feature dropped by its home studio, The Day the Earth Blew Up.

As previously reported, the film needs to hit about $120M in gross box office to break even on Ketchup’s purchase price plus $10M marketing budget and the usual 50% cut of ticket sales for exhibiting theaters. The studio did sell off select international rights for under $20M.

Based on a New Yorker article by Ian Frazier, Coyote Acme'ye Karşı was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. The film is directed by Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) and written by Samy Burch. The live-action cast features Will Forte as Wile E.’s down-and-out lawyer, John Cena as ACME’s slick corporate attorney, Lana Condor and Tone Bell, with P.J. Byrne, Luis Guzmán and Martha Kelly. Looney Tunes veterans Eric Bauza and Jeff Bergman provide voices for the toons.