Coyote vs. Acme finally reached theaters this weekend and gave Looney Tunes fans something to celebrate. The long-shelved film opened in second place behind the still-dominant Spider-Man: Brand New Day, while Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars struggled to find an audience.
‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Rolls Into Second Place
Ketchup Entertainment released Coyote vs. Acme on 3,575 North American screens. The film earned $15.4 million for the weekend after bringing in $5.3 million on Friday.
Audiences gave the animation and live-action hybrid an A CinemaScore. Will Forte, Lana Condor and John Cena star in the story of Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation over its faulty products.
The opening marks the biggest debut ever for Ketchup Entertainment. It surpassed the distributor’s previous record set by the Looney Tunes feature The Day the Earth Blew Up.
That film was originally intended for HBO Max before reaching theaters in March of last year. It opened to $3.5 million and eventually earned $15 million worldwide.
Coyote vs. Acme opened below the recent average for animation and live-action hybrids. According to FranchiseRe, the previous 15 such films debuted with an average of $23.2 million.
The film still appears positioned to recover its investment through ancillary markets. Its long road to theaters has also given the release an unusual level of attention.
A Film Once Destined for the Shelf
Warner Bros. drew widespread attention in late 2023 when news broke that the studio had shelved the completed Coyote vs. Acme as a tax write-off. Director Dave Green’s film carried a budget of roughly $70 million and faced the possibility of never being released.
The decision triggered outrage across social media. Ketchup Entertainment stepped in last year and acquired the rights for $50 million.
Critics have responded strongly to the finished film. Coyote vs. Acme holds a 95 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck called the movie “a hilarious delight.” The enthusiastic reviews added momentum to a release that once appeared unlikely to happen.
‘The Dog Stars’ Struggles in Fifth Place
Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars opened in fifth place with $8 million domestically. The 20th Century Studios sci-fi thriller played in 3,300 locations.
Jacob Elordi leads the cast alongside Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley and Guy Pearce. Scott adapted the film from Peter Heller’s 2012 novel about survivors living in the aftermath of a devastating virus.
Critical reaction proved considerably weaker than the response to Coyote vs. Acme. The Dog Stars earned a 41 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 70 audience score.
The Hollywood Reporter chief film critic David Rooney described the movie as “minor-key to a fault.” For Scott, who remains prolific at age 88, the opening represents his weakest box office start since The Last Duel debuted with $4.8 million in 2021.
‘Spider-Man’ Extends Its Box Office Reign
Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day remained at No. 1 for a fifth consecutive weekend. The superhero blockbuster earned another $22.2 million and pushed its domestic total to $891.5 million.
Tom Holland stars in director Destin Daniel Cretton’s film. Brand New Day now ranks as the second-highest-grossing movie ever at the domestic box office.
Only 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens remains ahead of it. That film finished with $936.6 million domestically.
Brand New Day also climbed to No. 4 on the all-time worldwide box office chart. Its global total now stands at $2.332 billion.
The move pushed 2025’s Chinese animated fantasy Ne Zha 2 to fifth place with $2.27 billion. James Cameron’s 1997 disaster epic Titanic moved to sixth with $2.26 billion.
Spider-Man is now closing in on third place. Avatar: The Way of Water, released in 2022, currently holds that position with $2.334 billion worldwide.
‘The Odyssey’ Holds Strong in Third
Universal Pictures’ The Odyssey remained in third place at the North American box office. Christopher Nolan’s mythological epic earned another $14.3 million during the weekend.
The film has now spent seven weekends in theaters. Its domestic total has reached $563.8 million.
Sony’s Insidious: Out of the Further followed in fourth place. The horror sequel collected $10.1 million during its second weekend.
That brings the film’s domestic total to $43.6 million. Its weekend earnings fell 59 percent from its debut.
‘Buddy’ Opens in Sixth
Roadside Attractions introduced another newcomer with the horror-comedy Buddy. The film earned $5.3 million from 1,258 locations to finish in sixth place.
Casper Kelly directed the skewed take on children’s television. Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace and Keegan-Michael Key star in the film.
Rooney wrote that Buddy “doesn’t go far enough to be as extreme or disturbing as it wants to be.” The movie entered a crowded late-summer market filled with major franchises and established releases.
Summer Box Office Heads Toward the Finish Line
As the 2026 summer box office approaches its end, the weekend’s films generated an estimated $97 million overall, according to FranchiseRe. That figure fell from the previous weekend’s $130.5 million.
Rentrak expects movies released during the summer season to have collectively earned $4.444 billion by Sunday. That would put the summer box office 25.5 percent ahead of last year.
The season would still rank fourth among the comparable summer totals cited by Rentrak. The summers of 2013, 2016 and 2015 remain ahead of 2026, in descending order.
The top 12 movies of the weekend, as of Sunday, August 30, are as follows.
| # | Title | Distributor Name | Weekend Total | # of Locs | Loc Avg | Cume Total | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Insidious: Out of the Further | Sony | $10,100,000 | 3,303 | $3,058 | 43,630,000 | -60% |
| 1 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Sony | $22,200,000 | 3,678 | 6,036 | $891,508,000 | -43% |
| 2 | Coyote vs. Acme | Falling Forward Films | $15,468,754 | 3,575 | 4,327 | $15,468,754 | |
| 3 | Odyssey, The | Universal | $14,300,000 | 2,617 | 5,464 | 563,822,000 | -27% |
| 5 | Dog Stars, The | 20th Century Studios | $8,000,000 | 3,330 | 2,402 | $8,000,000 | |
| 6 | Buddy | Roadside Attractions | $5,363,827 | 1,258 | 4,264 | 5,363,827 | |
| 7 | End of Oak Street, The | Warner Bros. | $4,950,000 | 2,923 | 1,693 | 46,030,000 | -43% |
| 8 | PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie | Paramount | $4,875,000 | 3,110 | 1,568 | 43,311,000 | -47% |
| 9 | Mutiny | Lionsgate | $2,750,000 | 2,703 | $1,017 | 13,229,000 | -64% |
| 10 | Tony | A24 | $2,220,448 | 1,907 | 1,164 | 11,053,129 | -55% |
| 11 | GHOST: 2 Big To Rig | Trafalgar Releasing | $1,611,776 | 781 | $2,064 | 1,611,776 | |
| 12 | Spa Weekend | Black Bear | $1,185,000 | 1,619 | 732 | 5,645,695 | -61% |
