20 Recent Movies That Were Sent Out To Die

18. Coyote vs. Acme

We should probably breathe a sigh of relief that Coyote vs. Acme actually got released at all, considering that Warner Bros. initially planned to shelve the completed live-action-animated hybrid comedy for a tax write-off.

Yet amid mounting public pressure from fans and filmmakers alike, the studio allowed the producers to seek another distributor, with Ketchup Entertainment scooping up the rights for $50 million in March 2025.

And so this past August, well over four years after it wrapped shooting, Coyote vs. Acme was finally released in cinemas, but even with rave reviews from critics, it faced one hell of an uphill climb to profitability.

Between its sizable $72 million budget, Ketchup's limited ability to market the film, and the waning popularity of movies that fuse live-action with animation, Coyote vs. Acme didn't stand a chance of becoming the breakout hit many nevertheless hoped it would.

At the time of press it's sitting just north of $80 million worldwide, which while a far higher figure than many expected, still leaves it far, far away from theatrical profitability.

But again, the fact that Coyote vs. Acme was actually allowed to exist at all is what many will choose to celebrate.