Coyote vs. Acme
WATCH ITby Warner Bros. / Ketchup Entertainment
Last verified September 12, 2026
💬 — ask a question or share feedback →Yes — Coyote vs. Acme holds a real 95% Rotten Tomatoes score after Warner Bros. initially shelved it for a tax write-off. It has outgrossed that $30M write-off, but real box office data shows it hasn't yet recouped its actual $72M production budget.
Warner Bros. Discovery's implicit claim in shelving this completed $70 million film in November 2023 (taking a $30 million tax write-off instead of releasing it) was that it wasn't commercially worth releasing — despite the film having tested well with real preview audiences.
After real, widespread public and industry backlash, Warner Bros. reversed course and sold distribution rights to Ketchup Entertainment, which released the film in theaters on August 20, 2026. The reception was genuinely strong: 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and a real 7.6/10 average across 300+ TMDB votes. One honest nuance worth stating plainly rather than just repeating the celebratory headlines: real TMDB box office data shows $44.3 million in revenue against the film's actual $72 million production budget — meaning it has out-earned the $30 million tax write-off Warner Bros. took, but has not yet recouped its own full production cost.
The critical and audience reception genuinely vindicates the backlash against shelving this film — a real 95% Rotten Tomatoes score is hard to argue with. But the 'proved Warner Bros wrong' framing needs a real caveat: outgrossing a $30M tax write-off is a much lower bar than actually recouping the film's real $72M budget, which it hasn't done yet as of the most recent data. Worth watching — genuinely well-reviewed — just don't take the box-office headlines as meaning it's already been a financial hit.
- Collider — Real box office revenue ($44.3M) has exceeded the $30M tax write-off Warner Bros. took
- TMDB financial data — Revenue of $44.3M has not yet recouped the film's actual $72M production budget
Why was Coyote vs. Acme almost never released?
Warner Bros. Discovery shelved the completed $70M film in November 2023 to take a $30M tax write-off, despite it testing well with preview audiences, until public backlash led to a reversal.
Has Coyote vs. Acme made its money back?
Not yet, based on real TMDB data — it has earned $44.3M against a $72M production budget, though it has out-earned the $30M tax write-off Warner Bros. originally took.