Ketchup Entertainment Buys 'Coyote vs. Acme' for $50 Million, Securing Aug. 28 Theatrical Release
Updated
Updated · The Globe and Mail · Aug 20
Ketchup Entertainment Buys 'Coyote vs. Acme' for $50 Million, Securing Aug. 28 Theatrical Release
2 articles · Updated · The Globe and Mail · Aug 20
Summary
Ketchup Entertainment acquired distribution rights to shelved Looney Tunes film "Coyote vs. Acme" for a reported $50 million, putting the movie back on track for a theatrical debut on Aug. 28.
Warner Bros. had scrapped the completed film in November 2023 as a tax write-off under CEO David Zaslav's cost-cutting drive, initially blocking any theatrical, streaming or third-party release.
Fan backlash and support from filmmakers pushed Warner to reverse course and sell the movie, according to cast members Will Forte and Lana Condor, who said strong test-screening reactions made the shelving more frustrating.
"Coyote vs. Acme" is a live-action/animation hybrid directed by Dave Green, written by Oscar nominee Samy Burch and produced by James Gunn; VVS Films will distribute it in Canada.
The rescue gives Hollywood a rare example of a tax-write-off casualty reaching theaters, turning a satire about corporate misconduct into a real-world rebuke of studio cost-cutting.