‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Just Made Looney Tunes History With a Stunning CinemaScore

Few films in recent memory have carried quite as dramatic a redemption arc as this one, transforming from a corporate tax write-off horror story into one of the most beloved surprise hits of the year. What started as a cautionary tale about studio decision-making has become something audiences genuinely can’t stop talking about.

That underdog narrative just reached its most triumphant chapter yet, with real numbers now backing up everything critics have been saying since the film finally hit theaters.

‘Coyote vs. Acme’ debuted with an A grade on CinemaScore, marking the best score ever recorded for a Looney Tunes movie. The film’s exit poll results reflect an audience response that’s matched the overwhelmingly positive critical reception the movie has generated since opening in theaters on August 28.

The film’s journey to this milestone has been well documented at this point. Originally completed back in 2022 as a $72 million live-action animated hybrid from Warner Bros., the movie was shelved entirely in 2023 by Warner Bros. Discovery in exchange for a tax write-off, according to WithAshleyAndCo, sparking immediate backlash and grassroots campaigns like “Release Coyote Vs Acme” that kept public pressure on the studio for years. Ketchup Entertainment eventually stepped in to purchase the finished film and secure the theatrical release fans had been demanding.

That CinemaScore result lines up closely with the film’s critical reception, which has been remarkably strong across the board. Deadline called the film “the best Warner Bros film released so far this year,” going as far as to describe it as the best live-action and animated hybrid since Robert Zemeckis’ “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” hit theaters four decades ago.

CBR’s review praised the film’s underdog framing directly, noting that the real-world controversy surrounding its shelving accidentally created “the perfect marketing campaign” for a story literally built around a “David vs. Goliath” battle against a powerful corporation. Looper’s ranking of all five Looney Tunes theatrical films placed “Coyote vs. Acme” at the very top of the list, crediting its use of the franchise’s stacked roster of animated characters as more effective than anything that came before it.

The film has also delivered some genuinely memorable moments for longtime fans of the franchise, with SlashFilm reporting that the movie definitively settles a decades-old debate about whether the Road Runner’s catchphrase is “meep meep” or “beep beep,” confirming the latter through a clever sign-based gag late in the film. Directed by Dave Green from a screenplay by Samy Burch, the courtroom comedy follows Wile E. Coyote as he sues the Acme Corporation over decades of faulty products, with Will Forte, Lana Condor, and John Cena leading the human cast.

Given how thoroughly the film has won over both critics and opening-day audiences alike, this CinemaScore grade feels like the fitting final chapter in a saga that’s spanned years of uncertainty and fan advocacy. For a movie that nearly never saw the light of day, earning the highest audience rating in its franchise’s history is about as satisfying a comeback story as Hollywood gets.

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