‘Coyote vs. Acme’ reaches theaters nationwide

Since childhood, many of us have watched Wile E. Coyote use one ridiculous ACME invention after another to trap the Road Runner. 

Yet every elaborate plan ends the same way: something goes wrong, leaving the coyote battered, bruised, and back where he started.

Now, after decades of watching his schemes fail, fans can see what happens when Wile E. finally takes his fight against ACME beyond the desert in Coyote vs. Acme.

From cartoon chaos to the courtroom
The movie arrived in theaters across the US on Friday, bringing the beloved Looney Tunes character into a live-action-and-animation hybrid adventure.

It has brought in a strong $1.7 million from previews and is projected to post a $15 million opening weekend. The film currently holds a 95% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 143 critics.

From shelved film to big screen release
While Wile E.’s journey to catch the Road Runner has lasted decades, the movie itself faced its own long road to theaters.

Warner Bros. made the $70 million movie for HBO Max in 2020 but shelved the completed production in 2023, taking a reported $30 million tax write-down. Fearing the movie might never escape the studio vault, the filmmakers even held a “funeral screening.”

The film eventually got a second chance in March 2025 when Ketchup Entertainment acquired the movie in a $50 million deal, beating interest from Netflix and Paramount. 

Ketchup Entertainment previously scored its biggest opening with The Day the Earth Blew Up, which earned $3.2 million.

This time, Coyote fights back
Directed by David Green and written by Samy Burch, the film follows Wile E. Coyote as he takes ACME Corporation to court after years of disastrous encounters with its products.

He joins forces with lawyer Kevin Avery, played by Will Forte, against corporate attorney Buddy Crane, portrayed by John Cena.