Coyote vs. Acme Debuts Strong but Trails Spider-Man; Dog Stars Flops
The long-delayed hybrid film Coyote vs. Acme opened to $15.4 million over the weekend, securing second place behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It earned an A CinemaScore and strong critical praise, though its debut lagged behind recent similar releases. Meanwhile, Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars struggled at the box office, landing in fifth place.
The debut marks a milestone for Ketchup Entertainment, surpassing its previous best with *The Day the Earth Blew Up*, which opened to $3.5 million. *Coyote vs. Acme*’s $15.4 million start trails the $23.2 million average for recent hybrid releases, though its 95% Rotten Tomatoes score and A CinemaScore suggest strong word-of-mouth. The film’s path to theaters followed Warner Bros. shelving it as a tax write-off in 2023; Ketchup acquired rights for $50 million after public backlash.
*The Dog Stars* opened to $8 million in fifth place, a weak result for Ridley Scott’s sci-fi thriller starring Jacob Elordi. Meanwhile, *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* continued its dominance, earning $22.2 million in its fifth weekend, pushing its domestic total to $891.5 million and global haul to $2.332 billion—now the fourth-highest worldwide gross ever.
This weekend’s box office reflects shifting audience habits: a niche hybrid film can find traction through critical praise and ancillary revenue, while a big-budget auteur sci-fi struggles without broad appeal. The success of *Spider-Man* reinforces franchise dominance, potentially squeezing mid-tier releases. For independent distributors, *Coyote vs. Acme*’s performance may signal that rescued projects can still draw audiences, though the gap between top-tier blockbusters and everything else could widen, affecting how studios greenlight risky, non-franchise films.