Coyote vs. Acme Officially Beats Sandra Bullock’s Sequel With $100M Box-Office

Wile E. Coyote has survived anvils, dynamite, and cliffs, but his most improbable escape may have happened outside the cartoon. Coyote vs. Acme has now passed $100 million at the worldwide box office, an extraordinary reversal for a movie Warner Bros. once planned to shelve for a tax write-down. The Looney Tunes hybrid has now passed $100 million worldwide, according to DiscussingFilm report. That also puts it comfortably ahead of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman’s Practical Magic 2, which stood at $76.8 million worldwide after its second weekend.

Practical Magic 2 arrived as a Warner Bros. legacy sequel with two Oscar-winning stars and a reported $75 million budget, while Coyote vs. Acme was once deemed expendable by the same studio. Yet the movie Warner Bros. nearly buried has now outgrossed its newer star-powered sequel and crossed the $100 million threshold.

Coyote vs. Acme Pulled Off an Absurd Box-Office Comeback

Credit: Warner Animation Group

The numbers become considerably more striking once the movie’s tortuous road to theaters enters the equation. Warner Bros. announced in November 2023 that it would shelve the completed Coyote vs. Acme as part of a roughly $30 million tax write-down. The decision provoked fierce backlash, and Warner Bros. subsequently allowed the filmmakers to seek another buyer. Ketchup Entertainment eventually acquired the movie for a reported $50 million and released it theatrically on August 28, 2026 (via TheWrap).

It opened to $15.9 million domestically (via Box Office Mojo), finishing second, and displayed sturdy legs afterward, with its North American total climbing past $54 million by its fourth weekend. Word of mouth gave the rescue mission additional ammunition. TheWrap noted at release that the movie carried 95% from critics and 94% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, while earning an A CinemaScore.

For director Dave Green, simply reaching theaters had once seemed fanciful. After learning that Ketchup had rescued the movie, he told TheWrap, “This is all a dream that I never imagined possible.” The dream subsequently started selling tickets.

Sandra Bullock’s Practical Magic 2 Lost Its Early Spell

Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in Practical Magic 2 | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Practical Magic 2 began from almost the opposite position. Warner Bros. gave the long-awaited sequel a wide release on September 11, bringing Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman back as Sally and Gillian Owens nearly three decades after the original. It even debuted at No. 1 domestically, but the victory came with an asterisk. The sequel opened to $30 million from 4,146 North American theaters and $46 million worldwide, figures Variety characterized as disappointing given expectations.

Its reported $75 million production budget also leaves a much higher financial threshold than the opening weekend alone might suggest. TheWrap noted that the sequel would need staying power after debuting toward the lower end of projections. That staying power took an early knock. During its second weekend, Practical Magic 2 fell 59% to $12.2 million domestically, surrendering the top spot to Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil.

The contrast is deliciously awkward for Warner Bros. Practical Magic 2 was deliberately brought back after 28 years with two marquee stars attached. Coyote vs. Acme had to survive cancellation and change distributors merely to reach an audience. Now the latter has passed $100 million worldwide. For Wile E. Coyote, persistence finally paid better than another ACME rocket. Did Warner Bros. badly underestimate Coyote vs. Acme, or did the cancellation controversy actually help turn it into an event?

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