Coyote vs. Acme finally reached the big screen this week, holding its Los Angeles premiere Wednesday night at the Westwood Village Theater — a milestone that once seemed unlikely after Warner Bros. Discovery shelved the film in November 2023 in favor of a tax write-off.
Fans refused to let the project die, and their persistence paid off when Ketchup Entertainment stepped in to save the film in March 2025, setting it up for a summer 2026 theatrical release. The film hits theaters on Friday.
Star Will Forte called the ordeal "an emotional roller coaster," admitting he initially doubted the online campaign would matter. "I didn't think it would do anything," he told The Hollywood Reporter on the carpet. "I was just like, 'They're not hearing you, it's not going to make a difference.' And then they just kept going and it's because of them the movie's out." He added, "I had given up on it and I can't thank these people enough. I always thought this movie was super special and the support from the community has meant so much. It's made me feel sane; I felt gaslit for a while and their support, now the positive reviews coming out — [they] just make it feel like you're not crazy."
Coyote vs. Acme blends live action and animation within the Looney Tunes universe, following Wile E. Coyote as he sues the Acme Corporation after its products repeatedly fail him in his pursuit of the Roadrunner. Forte plays the coyote's inexperienced lawyer, while John Cena plays Acme's attorney. The cast also includes Lana Condor, Eric Bauza and Martha Kelly.
Forte said the positive reviews and audience buzz surrounding the release feel especially validating. "I've been a part of a lot of projects that haven't gotten great reviews that I have loved — MacGruber. I love it. People may hate it, but I love it, I'm so proud of it," he said, noting that in this instance, "I am accepting positive reviews and saying they do mean something, I'm doing a flip around." He compared the film's journey to its own underdog premise: "so we need all the help we can get, and it feels like all these voices, the voices that helped us get the movie into the theaters, are helping spread the word about it being in the theaters. Hopefully people will listen to them and see these positive views and go like, 'This movie deserves to be seen.'"
Cena offered a similar sentiment: "We're here, we're coming out in theaters, I just hope that everyone who used their voice shows up to see this thing."
The premiere itself paid tribute to that fan support. A costumed Wile E. Coyote character walked the carpet alongside the UCLA marching band, carrying a sign reading "Absolute Cinema" — a nod to a viral video of a fan who picketed outside the Warner Bros. lot in the rain after the film's cancellation. Inside the screening, the character appeared again with a sign that read, "Thank you fans."
Director Dave Green echoed the gratitude. "We feel so lucky," he said. "Every single person that spoke out and tweeted and wrote a message, and for our brave costumed Coyote who stood out in the rain, we're grateful for every single individual who was there for us." Asked about potential sequels, Green kept his focus on the present: "I've not thought beyond this day," though he added, "We made a movie that we thought was funny and worked for us and we internally thought was a blast. It's so validating and kind to see the audience responding."
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
