‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ Eyes $14M Domestic Opening After Warner Bros. Tried To Bury It

After surviving one of the most controversial cancellations in Hollywood history, Coyote vs. Acme is finally in theaters, where it appears headed for a respectable opening weekend.

The hybrid feature earned $1.7 million from Thursday previews and is now expected to gross between $12 million and $14 million through Sunday, according to Deadline. That would likely put it in second place behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is projected to remain number one with around $20 million in its fifth weekend.

Earlier this month, tracking had Coyote vs. Acme opening to just $3-8 million, before climbing to around $15 million earlier this week. The improved outlook has been helped by positive reviews and strong word of mouth. The film currently holds a 95% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

While the opening-weekend numbers are encouraging, they do not necessarily spell financial success for Ketchup, which reportedly paid around $50 million for the film’s worldwide rights before marketing costs. If Coyote vs. Acme finishes its domestic run with three times its projected opening, it would earn approximately $36-42 million in North America. International box office, home entertainment, and licensing revenue might therefore be crucial to the film’s path toward profitability.

Of course, Coyote vs. Acme has been anything but conventional for several years, and strong reviews and audience enthusiasm could give it longer legs than those numbers assume.

Directed by Dave Green, Coyote vs. Acme stars Will Forte as a struggling attorney who represents Wile E. Coyote in a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the faulty products that have repeatedly injured him. John Cena, Lana Condor, and Tone Bell co-star.

Whatever happens this weekend, the fact that audiences can buy a ticket to see Coyote vs. Acme already constitutes an unlikely win for animation and its fandom. A stronger-than-expected opening would make the case against shelving it even harder to defend and, hopefully, make executives think twice before trying something similar in the future.