Top 10 movies at the Box Office: Spider-Man leads as ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ debuts second
By AP, August 31, 2026Three years after Warner Bros. abruptly canned “Coyote vs. Acme,” the Looney Tunes feature film that was given a new lease on life by Ketchup Entertainment debuted with an estimated Ksh2 billion in ticket sales over the weekend.
For the fifth weekend in a row, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” topped the North American box office. It grossed Ksh2.9 billion in U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to studio estimates Sunday, bringing its worldwide total to Ksh302.9 billion and making it the fourth highest-grossing film of all time.
“Coyote vs. Acme,” which had been relegated to the dust heap, fared best of the newcomers, debuting in second place.
The Ridley Scott action drama “The Dog Stars,” starring Jacob Elordi, flopped. The film, about a pilot and German Shepherd who survive a global pandemic, opened in fifth place with Ksh1 billion for 20th Century Studios. It added Ksh1.5 billion overseas, a poor result for a film that cost between Ksh9.1 billion and Ksh13 billion to make.
“Coyote vs. Acme,” however, scored a decent, hard-earned opening. In 2023, Warner Bros. cancelled any release of the completed film, preferring to take a tax write-off on a movie originally produced for its streaming service, HBO Max. Warner also shelved “Batgirl” and “Scoob! Holiday Haunt,” both of which remain unreleased.
“Coyote vs. Acme,” based on an Ian Frazier “Shouts and Murmurs” New Yorker column, is about Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation for its faulty products. It stars Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor and Eric Bauza.
The film, a hybrid of live-action and animation directed by Dave Green, cost Ksh9.1 billion to make. But despite good test screening scores, Warner Bros. opted to ax the completed film. After an outcry, the studio put the film up for sale. Early last year, Ketchup Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights for about Ksh6.5 billion.
For the makers of the film, just getting released was a victory.
“‘Coyote vs. Acme’ is finally, gloriously, in theatres now,” Green said on social media Friday. “Which means one thing. WE WON.”
Reviews and audience scores were also good. Moviegoers gave it an “A” CinemaScore. Critics were just as enthusiastic. On Rotten Tomatoes, it rated 95% fresh.
While the result might have counted as a disappointment for some Ksh9.1 billion movies, the opening weekend for “Coyote vs. Acme” was the best ever for Ketchup. The indie distributor’s previous high was 2024’s “The Day the Earth Blew Up” (a Ksh403 million opening), another Warner-made Looney Tunes castoff.
“The box office numbers are fair, but the reception is excellent and the release should set up good ancillary business for kids’ viewing, where the film should recoup its investment,” said David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe.
“The Odyssey,” in its seventh weekend, slid to third place with Ksh1.9 billion. It remains unusually strong overseas, where the Christopher Nolan movie grossed Ksh6.3 billion over the weekend.
Altogether, the Universal Pictures release has collected Ksh201.5 billion in global sales.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:
- “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Ksh2.9 billion.
- “Coyote vs. Acme,” Ksh2 billion.
- “The Odyssey,” Ksh1.9 billion.
- “Insidious: Out of the Further,” Ksh1.3 billion.
- “The Dog Stars,” Ksh1 billion.
- “Buddy,” Ksh702 million.
- “The End of Oak Street,” Ksh650 million.
- “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie,” Ksh637 million.
- “Mutiny,” Ksh364 million.
- “Tony,” Ksh286 million.