‘Coyote vs. Acme,’ Abandoned as a Tax Write-Off by Warner Bros., Grosses $100 Million Globally

“Coyote vs. Acme,” once deemed unreleasable by Warner Bros. and jettisoned as a tax write-off, has crossed the $100 million mark. The film‘s solid box office performance follows Ketchup Entertainment‘s $50 million purchase of the rights to the animated/live-action comedy, after which it sold some foreign rights to reduce risk.

“Coyote vs. Acme” had earned $54.7 million globally and $44.3 million domestically as of Sunday, according to Rentrak, which means it has now crossed the $100 million barrier. Those revenues set the film up nicely as it prepares to launch on digital platforms on September 28 at 9 p.m. PT or at midnight ET on September 29. As for Warner Bros., the studio may have been correct that the film, which sees Wile E. Coyote enlist a personal injury law firm to go after the Acme products that have pummeled him over the years, was too offbeat to succeed at the box office.

The history of Looney Tunes reboots and offshoots is checkered, after all, and this film cost a substantial $70 million to produce. The studio is no stranger to accounting gymnastics, having also shelved “Batgirl” in favor of a write-down.

That said, Warner Bros. has struggled commercially this year after having a sizzling 2025 that saw the release of “Sinners” and “Weapons.” In contrast, recent months have seen Warner Bros. release underperformers or outright duds like “The Bride!” ($23.9 million worldwide; $90 million budget), “Supergirl” ($126.4 million worldwide; $180 million budget), and “The End of Oak Street” ($120.6 million worldwide; $85 million budget). Its most recent film, “Practical Magic 2,” has earned $76.8 million in its first two weeks, but cost nearly as much to produce and will struggle to make money.

In fact, Variety recently pointed out that the indie studio A24 actually outgrossed the mighty Warner Bros. this summer thanks largely to “Backrooms.” The company had 5.5 percent of the domestic market share ($237 million total) compared to Warner Bros. at 5 percent ($165 million).

“Coyote vs. Acme” might have shrunk the gap. Heck, it might have even earned a profit.