TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The hybrid animation-live-action Looney Tunes comedy 'Coyote vs. Acme' is hitting theaters across the United States on August 28, 2026—but it's a near miss. Three years ago, Warner Bros. decided to shelve the project despite having completed production. Why?
Directed by Dave Green, 'Coyote vs Acme' follows Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote as he takes Acme Corporation to court, represented by a struggling—human—attorney Kevin Avery (played by Will Forte).
It is inspired by a 1990 humor piece by The New Yorker written by Ian Frazier, which imagined a courtroom stand-down between Coyote and Acme Corporation for the company's many faulty products that thwarted his pursuit of Road Runner.
While the courtroom drama sounds more adult than the regular animated film, it's certainly not why Warner Bros. decided to drop it. According to Decider, citing a report from The Wrap, studio execs were keen to shelve the project for a US$30 million tax write-off.
Warner Bros. also shelved Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt amid the company's merger with Discovery the previous year.
Initially, 'Coyote vs. Acme' was earmarked for demolition on November 9, 2023, but the decision was met with vehement backlash, including from other filmmakers and fans, as the movie gained more support after early screenings.
Chris deFaria, one of the film's producers, told The New York Times over a Zoom interview that he got an "unceremonious" call from the studio that 'Coyote vs. Acme' "may not get released at all."
Amid widespread industry protest, Warner Bros. walked back the decision and instead gave the filmmakers the chance to shop the film around. Despite this, The Wrap reported that the studio rejected "handsome" offers from Amazon, Netflix, and Paramount.
This is because Warner Bros. were looking for something between $75 and $80 million from buyers, and they were not accepting counteroffers, according to insiders.
In January 2024, deFaria again received a phone call from a company executive saying the studio "just want to get this behind them."
The decision to shelve 'Coyote vs. Acme' was baffling, not only to fans, but also to the filmmakers themselves. Reportedly, the four Warner Bros. executives behind the decision hadn't even seen the finished version of the movie.
They were CEOs and co-chairpersons of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation president Bill Damaschke, as well as CEO and president of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav.
Nevertheless, director Dave Green at the time refused to give up. And months later, a ray of hope appeared in the form of independent film production and distribution company Ketchup Entertainment, with a $50 million offer for the distribution rights to 'Coyote vs. Acme.'
Soon after, the release date was announced for August 2026, and when the first trailer was released in April, it gained over 25 million views in just a day.
According to The New York Times, the marketing for 'Coyote vs. Arme' also alluded to the themes of corporate greed and the danger of monopolies, with a cheeky tagline: "The movie Acme doesn't want you to see."
Was the years-long fight to get Coyote on screen worth it? Critics seem to think so.
Citing Forbes, 'Coyote vs. Acme' debuted with a 96% Rotten Tomatoes critic score (with 104 reviews) ahead of its theatrical release, making it not only the best-scored animation film this year but also one of the top three wide releases in 2026.
The estimated weekend box office puts the film in the $12 to $18 million range, but surprises are to be expected for the movie resurrected from near death.
The film stars Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, Luis Guzmán, and countless beloved Looney Tunes characters.
Read: 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Swings Near Top 5 Box Office
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