Coyote vs. Acme is now playing in U.S. theaters, nearly three years after Warner Bros. decided not to release the completed Looney Tunes movie. Independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment opened the live-action and animated comedy on August 28, 2026.
The release settles one question but leaves another open: there is still no announced streaming date. For now, the official movie site directs viewers to theater tickets. The film is rated PG and runs 101 minutes.
Coyote vs. Acme Release Details at a Glance
- Release status: Now playing in U.S. theaters.
- Release date: August 28, 2026.
- Distributor: Ketchup Entertainment.
- Runtime and rating: 101 minutes; PG for cartoon violence and some language.
- Streaming: No official streaming date or service has been announced.
- Director: Dave Green.
The Pixel Twelve movie page keeps the release date and related coverage together.
What Is Coyote vs. Acme About?
Wile E. Coyote has spent decades buying Acme products that explode, collapse, or fail at the worst possible moment. In the movie, he hires billboard lawyer Kevin Avery, played by Will Forte, and sues the company over the damage caused by those products.
The case puts Kevin against Acme lawyer Buddy Crane, played by John Cena. The setup combines a human courtroom story with the physical rules of the Road Runner cartoons. Wile still communicates without ordinary dialogue, while the lawsuit gives his long history of failed rockets, traps, and gadgets a place in one larger story.
Why Did Warner Bros. Shelve Coyote vs. Acme?
The movie was completed in 2022 at a reported production cost of about $70 million. Warner Bros. canceled its release in November 2023. The Associated Press reported that the studio expected another $30 million to $40 million in marketing costs and considered a tax write-off more valuable than releasing the film.
That decision was different from delaying a movie or moving it to streaming. The finished film was not supposed to reach audiences at all. Cast and crew members saw it at what became known as a funeral screening, and the cancellation drew public criticism from filmmakers, animation workers, and Looney Tunes fans.
The campaign did not prove that the movie would be a commercial or critical success. It did keep the finished work visible long enough for another distributor to consider it. Warner Bros. eventually allowed the film to be sold instead of leaving it unreleased.
How Did Ketchup Entertainment Bring the Movie Back?
Ketchup Entertainment acquired the movie in 2025. AP reported that the deal was worth about $50 million. Ketchup had already released The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, another animated Warner Bros. project, which gave the independent distributor experience marketing the same group of characters.
The new distributor built the campaign around the movie’s real history without making that history the entire product. The trailers still have to sell Wile’s courtroom case, the Acme gadgets, and the mix of live action and animation. The official Ketchup film page now lists tickets, the cast, Dave Green, and the August 28 release.
Who Is in the Coyote vs. Acme Cast?
- Will Forte: Kevin Avery, the lawyer representing Wile E. Coyote.
- John Cena: Buddy Crane, Acme’s corporate lawyer.
- Lana Condor: Paige Avery.
- Eric Bauza: Wile E. Coyote and several other Looney Tunes voices.
- Also in the cast: P.J. Byrne and Tone Bell.
Is Coyote vs. Acme Streaming?
No streaming release has been announced. The official Coyote vs. Acme site and Ketchup Entertainment page currently direct viewers to theatrical tickets. They do not list a subscription service, digital purchase date, or home-video date.
That means any specific streaming date circulating now is not confirmed by the distributor. The correct availability answer on August 28 is theaters only in the United States. International dates and ticket access can vary by market, so viewers should use the official site or a local cinema listing.
Why This Release Matters Beyond One Movie
Coyote vs. Acme reaching theaters does not mean every shelved film can follow the same path. This movie had recognizable characters, a completed cut, years of public attention, and a distributor willing to make a large acquisition. Those conditions are unusual.
What changed is simple: audiences can now judge the movie itself instead of arguing only about a corporate decision. The release turns a story about a vanished production into an ordinary movie question—whether the finished comedy is worth a ticket.
For more animation coverage, visit the Looney Tunes franchise page, read about The Bluey Movie’s move to CG, or see what Disney has confirmed about Ice Age 6: Boiling Point.
