Warner Bros. Tried to Bury ‘Coyote vs. Acme.’ The Controversy Became Its Best Marketing
A planned tax write-off sparked a three-year fight, a new buyer, and free publicity that helped the finished Looney Tunes film reach the big screen.
Resilience in the face of a seemingly insurmountable challenge is one way to describe classic Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote’s pursuit of the Roadrunner. It’s also a fair description of the fight to get Coyote vs. Acme debuted in theaters this weekend—nearly three years after Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to shelve it permanently.
Coyote vs. Acme was originally intended to be released straight to HBO Max, but then slotted for a 2023 summer theatrical release. Then in November 2023 a WB Motion Picture Group spokesperson said in a statement that, “[w]ith the re-launch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases…With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with Coyote vs. Acme. We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts, and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film.”
But filmakers and fans may not have felt the respect.
The Saga of Coyote vs. Acme
Coyote V. Acme was the third completed film
Coyote V. Acme was the third completed film targeted for shelving under the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav; Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt still sit unreleased.
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When Coyote was shelved in November 2023, filmmakers and fans alike were unhappy. One fan, in a Wile E. Coyote costume, held a “Release me!!” sign in front of the Warner Bros. studios in the rain protesting the film’s shelving. The fan recently unmasked himself as Marco Vaccaro, and posted another video in costume—this time holding up a “We f**cking did it!” sign.
“From the business’ perspective, what they need to spend on a movie, half of it is making the movie, half of it is advertising the movie,” Jason Cherubini, film producer and Executive in Residence of Finance at Loyola University Maryland, said.
Amidst the merger, and changes in strategy from streaming-first programming to theatrical releases, Cherubini said Coyote vs. Acme was put on the chopping block likely because the studio didn’t want to sink millions more in marketing the film for theaters.
Source: www.inc.com
