What David Zaslav Got Wrong About ‘Coyote vs. Acme’

By Rebecca Rubin

Rebecca Rubin

Senior Film and Media Reporter

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Three years after “Coyote vs. Acme” was shelved by Warner Bros. as a tax write-off and rescued by indie distributor Ketchup Entertainment, the Looney Tunes comedy has become a box-office bright spot with more than $100 million globally. Was Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav, who deemed it financially unworthy to release on the big screen, wrong to axe the film?

That answer might depend on who is doing the accounting, analysts say. “Coyote vs. Acme” is a major win for Ketchup Entertainment, which paid $50 million for distribution rights and pre-sold foreign territories to offset the cost. Those grosses might not have been as celebratory for Warner Bros., considering the film cost $70 million to produce. (Theater owners get to keep half of ticket sales.) Warner Bros. dumped the live-action animation hybrid, starring Will Forte and John Cena and produced by DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, for a $30 million tax write-down.

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