COYOTE VS. ACME | THE DOG STARS | BUDDY openings

The current weekend: August 28 to 30, 2026 1) Coyote vs. Acme opening - This is a fair opening for the 3rd Looney Tunes feature film. The weekend figure is below average for the genre, although it's much stronger than last year's Looney Tunes' The Day the Earth Blew Up. Critics' reviews and audience scores are outstanding (an A CinemaScore). Last year, the fully animated The Day the Earth Blew Up received a minor release in March 2025. That movie was developed for HBO and earned $15m worldwide on a small budget of $15m. Coyote vs Acme is a live-action/animation hybrid that was produced as a major theatrical release, with an estimated cost of $70m. The story is about Wile E. Coyote legally pursuing the Acme Corporation for repeatedly selling him allegedly faulty products. The BO 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: - Independent distribution & production company Ketchup Entertainment handled last year's Looney Tunes title and they're distributing this one. They bought worldwide rights to Coyote for $50m, with Warner Bros. waving the white flag and taking a tax write-down on the $70m production. Looney Tunes background - Here's some background: The Looney Tunes characters were created at Warner Bros. in the 1930s in short films that played in theaters before features. In the 1950s, they expanded to TV where they had a long and very successful run. There were seven home entertainment/DVD films in the 1970s and '80s, and the characters were part of the Space Jam hit movies in 1996 and 2021. There was also a WB release in 2003 called Looney Tunes: Back in Action that made some money overseas, but not much domestically (it finished with $68.5m worldwide). The main Looney Tunes characters are Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Wile E. Coyote, the Road Runner, Sylvester the Cat, Elmer Fudd, and Yosemite Sam. - In spite of many good years on TV and in limited and supporting roles, Looney Tunes has been unable to find consistent success on the big screen (the way that, say, Alvin and the Chipmunks did). The characters have had their moments, but it's been uneven, like this release. 2) The Dog Stars opening The Dog Stars section is for paid subscribers. Upgrade to get full access. Subscribe 3) Buddy opening - This is a good opening for an original horror comedy. These are small, off-beat pictures that usually challenge horror tropes and assumptions. The weekend figure is above average for the genre, with excellent critics' reviews (there is no CinemaScore). The film is about a group of children trapped inside a surreal 1990s-style children's television show who must try to escape when their giant, bright-orange unicorn host turns into a brutal, malevolent nightmare. Strong cast: Grammy and Emmy award-winner Cristin Milioti, Keegan-Michael Key as the voice of evil Buddy, Patton Oswalt as Strappy the backpack, Michael Shannon as Willie/a ventriloquist doll, and Topher Grace. It's the directorial debut of Casper Kelly from a screenplay by Kelly and Jamie King. The film is made with a mix of live actors, puppetry, and a suit/character design similar to classic live-action children's shows. Interesting: 4) Where we are now - 84% of kids are back at school now, and the number will rise next week. There's a tradition of considering the Labor Day holiday the end of summer (next weekend), but that's outdated now. For moviegoing, summer is all but over. The new openers are contributing to the weekend, but Spider-Man and The Odyssey are still combining for $35 million - strong. Total business remains well ahead of last year and ahead of the pre-pandemic average. The box office is weakening, but it remains good for the end of August: Our last two posts were: INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER | MUTINY | TONY and SPA WEEKEND openings | Horror films update | Where we are now | August 21 to 23, 2026 weekend here THE END OF OAK STREET | PAW PATROL 3: THE DINO MOVIE | THE BRINK OF WAR openings | Where we are now | August 14 to 16, 2026 weekend here To see all of our work, be sure to upgrade: Upgrade Source: https://franchisere.substack.com/p/coyote-vs-acme-will-forte-john-cena-looney-tunes-the-dog-stars-jacob-elordi-josh-brolin-margaret-qualley-ridley-scott-buddy-horror-movies-sundance