'Coyote vs. Acme' Delayed by Warner Bros, with $30M Tax Deduction

Warner Bros.

In another movie-killing gambit by David Zaslav’s Warner Bros Discovery, we hear on very good authority that Warner Bros will not be releasing the live-action/animated hybrid Coyote vs. Peak With the conglomerate earning an estimated $30 million of the $70 million production value. We understand that the write-down has been applied to the recently reported third quarter.

This is the third time Zaslav’s Warner Bros. has pulled the plug on a film greenlit by former Warner Media management; The other two are the estimated max Bat girl And animation Scoop Holiday Hunt!.

The difference here is that Coyote vs. Peak It is a completed film that received very good test scores, 14 points above the family norm. We’re told that cash-strapped Warners found it wasn’t worth the cost of a theatrical release, or selling to other buyers (there are parties interested in its streaming services; we hear Amazon is in the works). After reporting a mixed third quarter, the best way to get money for Warner is with a tax write-off. At one point, Coyote vs. Peak It was dated July 21, 2023 for theatrical release before being pulled; This date is set to gross $1.4 billion and is Warner Bros.’ biggest success ever, Barbie.

“With the relaunch 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 Coyote vs. Acme. “We have great respect for the filmmakers, cast and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson said.

How ironic: Zaslav co-wrote a new three-year deal between AMPTP and the SAG-AFTRA union with the show, the Burbank studio, starved for theatrical product in 2024 with many titles moved and gaps left. There’s certainly money to be made from a definitive movie based on the Looney Tunes IP. Sequel 2021 Space crowding: a new legacy It saw ticket sales extracted through the previous Warner Media management’s theatrical day-and-date model on Max during the pandemic. However, the film grossed $70.5 million domestically, and another $93.1 million overseas for a global cume of $163.6 million.

I was told that the launch of Max Coyote vs. Peak Not a suitable platform for a film. There’s been a lot of buzz about Gary Dauberman directing and James Wan producing a Stephen King movie. Much is safe, once it is slated for theatrical release, it will go to Max because they need the product due to the inventory shortage resulting from the strike. Warrs says regarding Much is safe The jury is still out and the fate of the vampire image has not yet been decided. However, King remains a brand name at the box office, and this is one of his classics. Horror works vitally in the post-pandemic era. A $10 million minimum box office opening certainly isn’t the worst thing in the world for a movie to be released on Max, however, it really boils down to whether Warners is willing to shell out $40 million in marketing costs.

Directed by David Green and written May December Writer Sammy Burch, along with DC Studios co-president James Gunn and Jeremy Slater, Coyote vs. Peak Based on Looney Tunes characters The New Yorker Humorous essay “Coyote v. Acme” by Ian Frazier. Will Forte, John Cena, and Lana Candor star in the film that follows Wile E. Coyote, who, after being let down multiple times by ACME products in his relentless pursuit of the Roadrunner, decides to hire a billboard lawyer to sue ACME. This case pits Wile E and his lawyer (Forty) against the latter’s fearsome former boss (Cena), but the growing friendship between the man and the cartoon only increases their determination to win.

Director Green is still working with Warners on another project that we’re told is in the works at New Line.

Since its relaunch in June, Warner Bros. has been eyeing Pictures Animation under Zaslav’s new management will be reduced to two pictures per year starting in 2026. The division recently announced a partnership with Locksmith Animation with Bad fairies And Lunar records Currently in development, along with feature length animated films based on the beloved Dr. Seuss classics Cat in the hat And the animated musical adaptation of Oh, the places you’ll go!.