First reactions to Coyote vs. Acme agree on one thing
After its tax-write-off saga, Coyote vs. Acme finally screened for press, sparking a flurry of first reactions on X.
If you've been following the fiasco around Coyote vs. Acme, you'll know it's one of those rare Hollywood stories that genuinely baffles. We're finally seeing first-hand reactions to the film after that infamous shelving, buy-back, and a release saga fit for its own slapstick script. Yes, it's actually screening now—at San Diego Comic-Con, of all places—and the early word is (unexpectedly?) very, very good.
Coyote vs. Acme opens in the UK and Ireland on 21 August 2026, and hits US cinemas a week later on 28 August.
The Roadrunner to Release
A bit of background for those who missed the commotion: Warner Bros. axed Coyote vs. Acme last year (2023) just to bag a $30 million tax write-off. Honestly, that alone stirred up a collective groan across film Twitter. But then, in what felt like a deus ex machina, Ketchup Entertainment picked up the rights and slotted it for release in summer 2026. Now, press and fans are finally seeing what all the fuss was about—and if the reviews out of Comic-Con are to be believed, Warner Bros. might just want to crawl under that giant Acme anvil and hide.
Critics Reactions: Believe the Hype?
The name Coyote vs. Acme might sound ridiculous, but the feedback out of its big San Diego debut sounds anything but tongue-in-cheek. Andrew J. Salazar of DiscussingFilm was practically effusive, drawing a line from this film straight back to the likes of Who Framed Roger Rabbit—which, let's be real, is extremely high praise in the world of live-action/animation hybrids. In Salazar's words on social media:
"I can finally say that Coyote vs. Acme is a pure delight. Laugh out loud funny, genuinely clever, and full of heart, it stands firmly next to Roger Rabbit as one of the best live-action/animated hybrid comedies. Given its long road to release, this couldn't be more satisfying."
Drew Taylor from TheWrap called it "worth the wait" and even seemed to question Warner Bros.' decision to ever can it, saying he couldn't understand why anyone would sit on something so crowd-pleasing. Not bad for a film that, a year ago, looked destined to become nothing but a trivia question.
Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture highlighted the legal comedy premise and pointed out that screenwriter Samy Burch has managed to bottle the same spirit as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam. For a film that had to fight tooth and nail just to get a showing, that's a remarkable result. Critics are also lauding the script for being sharper than expected given how bumpy its road to release has been.
Steve Seigh described the film as "delightful" and insisted it deserves to be seen on the actual big screen, not just streamed into obscurity. Even more enthusiastic: Zach Pope, who dubbed it "easily the best Looney Tunes" — which, considering the chequered history of feature-length Looney Tunes efforts, may or may not be faint praise depending on your view of Back in Action.
How Did This Happen?
- Samy Burch wrote the script, adapting from a story by James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, and himself.
- Dave Green directs—he's previously helmed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, for reference.
- The main cast features Will Forte, Lana Condor, John Cena, and Luis Guzmán.
- It mixes CGI Looney Tunes with real actors in a legal/courtroom comedy setting—so, yes, this is the type of premise that could very well have gone spectacularly wrong, but apparently managed not to.
The release dates are straightforward: August 21st for the UK and Ireland, and August 28th stateside. If all this positive noise holds up, you can expect a lot of "I always said it would be great" takes once it actually lands in cinemas.