Just like ‘Batgirl’ before it, funeral screenings for “Coyote Vs Acme” will be held on the Warner Bros lot for cast and crew members this weekend.
The film had multiple interested buyers, but on Thursday, Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav decided to write it off as a $30M tax break. This has infuriated the film community, with many worried that this could become a normal course of action for other studios in the future.
It wasn't just that “Coyote Vs Acme” was cancelled; it was also the disrespect from Warners to the people involved. According to Rolling Stone, Zaslav and company never gave the creators a heads-up before telling the press and the public that the movie had been cancelled.
Here’s where it gets even more interesting: “Coyote Vs Acme” had test screened many months ago and ended up being a huge success with the audience. It scored 14 points above the average for a family movie and its final score, reportedly, was in the high 90s.
If you’re not fluent in test screening lingo, a movie scoring in the high 90s means 95% of the audience who saw the film rated it “Very Good” or “Excellent.” It rarely happens.
Unlike “Batgirl,” Warner Bros cannot use the excuse that they're cancelling “Coyote Vs Acme” for quality reasons. They're not shelving a film destined to fail. There is no way around lying about the quality. This was purely and simply a greed-driven decision on the part of Warner Bros.
It’s quite clear that quality does not matter to Zaslav. It’s all about making a quick buck. “Coyote Vs Acme” cost $70 million to make. Zaslav clearly believes that he wouldn’t be able to make the money back with this one, especially if you include the marketing costs required for it.
So, what happens next? My prediction is that a copy of the movie will get leaked online. Someone should have a copy somewhere that the studio doesn't know about. Usually, an assortment of people would have a copy of the film through post production — editor, director, assistants, etc ..
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.