The film pulled $1.7 million in Thursday domestic previews, the same figure Zootopia posted. Warner Bros. once wrote it off as a tax loss before public pressure forced a sale.
The movie Warner Bros. tried to erase opened this weekend, and it matched a Disney blockbuster out of the gate.
Coyote vs. Acme earned $1.7 million in Thursday domestic previews, per Deadline.
That is the same preview figure Zootopia posted.
Zootopia went on to become one of Disney Animation’s biggest successes. Matching its Thursday number does not mean Coyote vs. Acme will follow that trajectory, since preview-to-total conversion varies enormously by genre and audience.
What it does establish is that a film once declared commercially worthless drew the same opening-night interest as a studio tentpole.
What happened to Coyote vs. Acme
The backstory is interesting.
Warner Bros. completed the film and then shelved it, planning to claim it as a tax write-off rather than release it. The decision drew sustained public criticism from filmmakers, critics, and audiences.
That pressure eventually pushed the studio to shop the film rather than bury it, and it reached theaters after a lengthy and very public fight over its existence.
Its opening is being read across the industry as a referendum on whether shelving completed films is a defensible business practice.
What Coyote vs. Acme is about
The premise comes straight from the Looney Tunes logic.
Wile E. Coyote sues the Acme Corporation over its consistently defective products, hiring a down-on-his-luck attorney to take the case against a company with unlimited legal resources.
It blends live action and animation in the tradition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam.
The Darkwing Duck news came from this red carpet
Jim Cummings, the original voice of Darkwing Duck, gave his interview confirming Disney is recasting the character to Collider on the Coyote vs. Acme red carpet.
Cummings has voiced Looney Tunes characters including the Tasmanian Devil, which is presumably why he was there.
So one premiere produced both a box office story and the biggest Disney animation casting news of the week.
How Coyote vs. Acme fits the 2026 box office
The year has been unusually strong, which raises the bar for a new release.
Five films have crossed $1 billion worldwide in 2026, against three in all of 2025. Analysts are projecting a $10 billion domestic year.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has passed $854.9 million domestically and is closing on Avengers: Endgame‘s second-place record. The Odyssey became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever this week.
Warner Bros. has had the roughest year of the majors, with no 2026 release passing $250 million worldwide. The End of Oak Street opened to roughly $21 million against an $80 million budget earlier this month.
A hit would matter to that studio more than the preview number suggests.
What to watch for this weekend
Full weekend actuals arrive Sunday, with revised figures on Monday. Box office numbers routinely revise upward after opening weekend, so early reporting will not match the final total.
The more telling number will be the second weekend. A film carried by curiosity about its history drops hard. A film people actually enjoyed holds.
Either way, Coyote vs. Acme is in theaters, which for a while looked like something that was never going to happen.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Deadline (August 2026), the $1.7 million Thursday preview figure and the Zootopia comparison
Collider (August 28, 2026), the Jim Cummings red-carpet interview
Boxoffice Pro and TheWrap (August 2026), the Warner Bros. 2026 performance figures
NBC News (August 2026), the 2026 box office year projections