Coyote vs. Acme opens to $15.4 million in second place

Coyote vs. Acme turned its long-delayed release into a notable opening weekend, earning an estimated $15.4 million in North America and finishing second at the box office. The result placed the rescued Looney Tunes hybrid behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which remained No. 1 with $22.2 million in its fifth weekend.

A record opening for Ketchup Entertainment

The film played on 3,575 North American screens and collected $5.3 million on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Its weekend total became the largest debut in the history of independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment, surpassing the company’s previous high set by The Day the Earth Blew Up.

Audiences gave the movie an A CinemaScore, an encouraging signal for its run beyond opening weekend. The debut also arrived with a comparatively lean marketing effort. Deadline reported a campaign cost of about $10 million and credited the film’s vocal online supporters with helping turn years of uncertainty into a theatrical event.

From a shelf to the No. 2 spot

The performance carries unusual weight because the completed film nearly disappeared. Warner Bros. moved to shelve it in 2023, prompting an industry and fan backlash. Ketchup later acquired the rights and brought director Dave Green’s mix of live action and animation to theaters, with Will Forte, Lana Condor and John Cena leading the cast.

The story follows Wile E. Coyote as he takes the Acme Corporation to court over its famously unreliable products. That familiar premise arrived with strong critical momentum: The Hollywood Reporter noted a 95 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of its weekend report.

The opening did not topple the summer’s dominant superhero release, but it did outperform the weekend’s other major newcomer. Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars debuted with $8 million, leaving Coyote vs. Acme comfortably in second place.

For Ketchup Entertainment, the result validates an expensive rescue and a release strategy built around existing audience enthusiasm. For supporters who spent years arguing that the movie deserved to be seen, a No. 2 debut offers measurable evidence that the campaign extended beyond social media and into ticket sales.