Dog Eats Dog At Box Office As 'Coyote Vs. Acme' Prevails At No. 2 With $15M+, 'Dog Stars' Tanks; Spidey Swings Closer To $900M – Box Office Update
Deadline
β’Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:18:00 +0000
π° What Happened
Ketchup Entertainment's theatrical rescue of Warner Bros Animation's Coyote vs. Acme hit its forecast with a very solid $15.4M opening, landing at No. 2 at the weekend box office behind Sony/Marvel's Spider-Man: Brand New Day's $22.2M fifth frame. The film won its slot off just a $10M marketing cost, while 20th Century Studios' Ridley Scott dystopian film The Dog Stars, starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, ate scraps with an $8M opening against a $70M production cost. Spider-Man, at $891.5M domestic, is now less than $10M from becoming the second movie ever to cross $900M.
π The Backstory
Coyote vs. Acme was a $70M Looney Tunes live-action/animation hybrid that Warner Bros. wrote off for $30M, before Ketchup paid $50M - more than other suitors including Paramount and Netflix - to rescue the Dave Green-directed, James Gunn-produced film after a fan campaign. Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort helped with marketing, with integrations around the World Cup, SummerSlam and the Little League World Series, and the film made two panel appearances at San Diego Comic-Con.
π― Why It Matters
The opening is a vindication for the online fan campaign that saved the film, and a case study in how a cheaper, passionate marketing push can beat a big studio spend. It shows audiences will show up for films they feel invested in - and that 'shelved' movies can still find a life.
Ketchup Entertainment's theatrical rescue of Warner Bros Animation's Coyote vs. Acme hit its forecast with a very solid $15.4M opening, landing at No. 2 at the weekend box office behind Sony/Marvel's Spider-Man: Brand New Day's $22.2M fifth frame. The film won its slot off just a $10M marketing cost, while 20th Century Studios' Ridley Scott dystopian film The Dog Stars, starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, ate scraps with an $8M opening against a $70M production cost. Spider-Man, at $891.5M domestic, is now less than $10M from becoming the second movie ever to cross $900M.
Coyote vs. Acme was a $70M Looney Tunes live-action/animation hybrid that Warner Bros. wrote off for $30M, before Ketchup paid $50M - more than other suitors including Paramount and Netflix - to rescue the Dave Green-directed, James Gunn-produced film after a fan campaign. Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort helped with marketing, with integrations around the World Cup, SummerSlam and the Little League World Series, and the film made two panel appearances at San Diego Comic-Con.
The opening is a vindication for the online fan campaign that saved the film, and a case study in how a cheaper, passionate marketing push can beat a big studio spend. It shows audiences will show up for films they feel invested in - and that 'shelved' movies can still find a life.