It looks like Warner Bros. Discovery‘s shelved “Looney Tunes” pic “Coyote vs. Acme“ may get a theatrical release after all.
READ MORE: ‘Coyote vs. Acme’: Will Forte Takes To Social Media To Defend Shelved Warner Bros. Movie
Variety reports that Ketchup Entertainment will land distribution rights for the film starring John Cena, Lana Condor, and Will Forte over a year after Warner Bros. wrote it off for tax incentives. The deal comes on the heels of the distributor releasing “The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” in theaters last weekend. Ketchup Entertainment picked that movie up after WBD shopped it around last year. And the estimated price tag for “Coyote vs. Acme”? $50 million, give or take.
That’s $20 million more than the $30 million granted Warner Bros. after they shelved “Coyote vs. Acme” in November 2023, a move that sparked outrage from its cast and crew. Several people involved in the “Looney Tunes” movie, including Cena and Forte, protested the decision on social media to no avail. However, the studio allowed its filmmakers to shop “Coyote vs. Acme” to other distributors like Prime Video, Apple, and Netflix in a chance to find a new home for it, but no new deal emerged. After that, many considered the movie dead, similar to “Batgirl” and “Scoob! Holiday Haunt,” two other projects Warner Bros. also shelved in 2022.
It’ll be a coup for the “Coyote vs. Acme” team for Ketchup Entertainment to resurrect the film and put it in theaters, but it may prove a costly venture for the distributor. “The Day The Earth Blew Up” fared poorly its March 14 opening weekend and has made just $3.9 million to date. And Ketchup has a knack for snatching up projects more prominent distributors look past, like Robert Rodriguez‘s “Hypnotic,” the Michael Keaton comedy “Goodrich,” and the Jessica Chastain drama “Memory.” Those three movies had poor theatrical runs, so don’t be surprised if “Coyote vs. Acme” does similarly
Still, it’s nice to see “Coyote vs. Acme” saved from the fate Warner Bros. once gave it. Stay tuned to see if Ketchup Entertainment indeed picks the once-lost film up.
