‘Coyote vs. Acme’—Rescued From the Vault—Opens to $15.4M and Tops a New Ridley Scott Release

# How the film escaped the studio vault and found an audience

Warner Bros. shelved Coyote vs. Acme after it was completed and at one point viewed it as unreleasable, opting to pursue a tax write-off rather than a theatrical launch. The studio's move triggered a backlash and a campaign that eventually led to the film being sold to small independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment.

Ketchup paid $50 million for the film, then recouped some risk by selling foreign rights for $20 million. The distributor also kept marketing spending conservative, a strategy intended to limit financial exposure while still giving the film a chance in theaters.

# Opening weekend and the immediate context

Coyote vs. Acme opened domestically with $15.4 million, placing it in second for the weekend. The opening was significantly stronger than many of Warner Bros.' other 2026 releases, beating several Warner titles' inaugural weekends. Reviews and word-of-mouth appear to have helped: the title drew favorable critical and audience responses during its rollout.

The film's release came at the same weekend as a new Ridley Scott-directed sci-fi film starring Jacob Elordi. That film opened to $8 million domestically, a poor start against its production budget, which IndieWire referenced as roughly $70–80 million in different passages. The Elordi film's weak debut makes it one of the larger box office failures of Scott's career, per the reporting.

# Financial posture behind the release

Key financial moves that shaped the outcome:

• Warner Bros. initially planned a $30 million tax write-off instead of releasing the film.
• Ketchup acquired the completed picture for $50 million and sold international rights for $20 million before release.
• Ketchup's limited promotion budget reduced the distributor's break-even exposure, increasing the chance the project could turn a profit with modest domestic receipts.

Those decisions change the risk profile compared with a major-studio release that typically spends heavily on global marketing and distribution.

# Why the opening matters (and what it doesn't prove)

This weekend's results also highlight the mismatch between production costs and opening returns in some studio films. The Elordi/Sci-fi release's $8 million start is especially stark against its reported mid-to-high tens-of-millions production budget.

# Immediate implications for studios and independents

Studios: shelving a completed film to take a tax hit can protect short-term financials, but risks public backlash and lost revenue if the market would have supported a release.

Independents: careful rights deals, conservative marketing, and leveraging critical/word-of-mouth momentum can make rescued titles viable, even without the rollout muscle of a major studio.

# Bottom line

Coyote vs. Acme's opening is notable because it turned a near-cancellation into a visible theatrical debut. The combination of a low-risk distribution deal, positive reception, and a loyal fan movement produced an opening that outperformed a high-budget Ridley Scott release the same weekend. Whether the film sustains box-office momentum will depend on ongoing audience response and how widely Ketchup extends its marketing effort.