Warner Bros. Write-Off 'Coyote vs. Acme' Hits $100M Global After Indie Rescue
Ketchup Entertainment turns shelved Looney Tunes feature into box-office success three years after studio tax write-off.
Shortfundly Desk · Worldwide ·
Warner Bros. Discovery shelved the completed "Coyote vs. Acme" in 2023 as a tax write-off under CEO David Zaslav, deeming the Looney Tunes hybrid comedy financially unworthy of theatrical release. The decision sparked industry backlash over studios burying finished films for accounting purposes.
Indie distributor Ketchup Entertainment acquired the title and mounted a theatrical rollout that has now grossed more than $100 million worldwide. The result challenges the financial rationale behind the original shelving and highlights the value of completed library assets.
The turnaround underscores how independent distributors can unlock commercial potential that major studios overlook in cost-cutting strategies. It also fuels ongoing debate about corporate stewardship of creative work and the ethics of tax-driven suppression.
This brief draws on reporting from Variety.
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