Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Coyote vs. Acme Returns to Theaters After Studio Shelving

An independent distributor bought the finished Warner Bros. film and its release this week tests whether fan pressure can overcome studio accounting choices.

Overview

  • Warner Bros. archived the finished Coyote vs. Acme in 2023 as a financial write-off and later sold worldwide rights to Ketchup Entertainment in a deal reported at about $50 million.
  • Ketchup moved forward with a theatrical rollout that begins in Latin America on Thursday, August 27, 2026, and opens in the United States and Canada on Friday, August 28, 2026.
  • The hybrid live-action/animation courtroom comedy is directed by Dave Green, produced with involvement from James Gunn, and stars Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor with veteran voice actors for the Looney Tunes characters.
  • Early press screenings earned strong reactions that reviewers linked to the film’s faithful 2D-inspired animation choices, practical on-set puppetry used for actors, and a tone that leans on classic Looney Tunes slapstick without major plot reveals.
  • The film’s path from shelving to release has been framed as a fan-driven rescue that spotlights a broader industry practice of declaring finished projects losses for tax purposes and could influence how studios handle completed but unreleased films.