‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Scores 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, But Is Tracking for Weak $6–8M Opening

UPDATE: No surprise: very positive reviews have greeted “Coyote vs. Acme” — but is this simply a case of critics trying to stick it to Warner Bros. for practically deleting the film, or is the praise genuine? It could very well be both.

The aggregates: 75 on Metacritic (based on 18 reviews) and 94% on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 36 reviews). Honestly? Those are good enough reviews for “Coyote vs. Acme” to potentially land an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. First, though, we need to find out whether it’s even eligible, since the Academy requires animation to account for 75% or more of the film’s runtime.

That said, I do have to mention that the film is currently tracking for a weak $6–8M opening weekend, which is not exactly encouraging—especially considering the $50M price tag Ketchup paid to acquire it. What were they thinking? Don’t get me wrong, it was such a good Samaritan move on their part, but given the economics of the deal, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has seen the jokes online about Ketchup being a money-laundering operation.

EARLIER: The whole point of the backlash over Warner Bros. shelving “Coyote vs. Acme,” and nearly writing it off into oblivion for tax purposes, was the widespread belief that it was a genuinely great film and didn’t deserve to go unseen.

Unlike, say, “Batgirl,” the test scores for “Coyote vs. Acme” were very high, and beyond the commercial concerns, there was no reason to bury the film since it was actually, you know, good—and quite possibly the best Looney Tunes movie ever made.

Well, the film has started screening. Yes, some of the usual suspects have chimed in, but I can also tell you that I’ve spoken to a handful of people who really liked it. Many of the reactions suggest it’s the best live-action/animation hybrid since “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

There haven’t been many truly great films of that kind, where cartoon characters interact with real actors. “Cool World” attempted a similar concept, “Paddington 2” is arguably the best modern example, while others include “Space Jam” “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers.”

Last year, Ketchup Entertainment acquired the worldwide rights to “Coyote vs. Acme,” reportedly paying somewhere in the vicinity of $50M for it. They will give “Coyote vs. Acme” a theatrical release this coming August 28, much like their other Looney Tunes acquisition, “The Day the Earth Blew Up,” which was originally produced by Warner Bros.

That film opened to only $3M, and there’s obviously some doubt about how well “Coyote vs. Acme” can actually perform at the box office, even with great reviews.

You might be asking: where did Ketchup get this kind of money ($50M!) to save “Coyote vs. Acme”? The truth is that nobody really knows. Even the trades were dumbfounded. Maybe their primary source of revenue is selling ketchup. We don’t know.

Regardless, we’ll finally get to see what the big deal was when the film—starring John Cena and Will Forte—arrives in theaters, currently eyeing an August 28, 2026, release. Will it be a breakout hit, or just another “The Day the Earth Blew Up”?