‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Are Wild For Wile E. Movie

"Coyote vs. Acme," the animated/live-action Looney Tunes film featuring John Cena and Will Forte, is finally heading to theaters nationwide on Aug. 28. The movie, directed by Dave Green, was famously shelved by Warner Bros. in November 2023 for a tax write-off, despite its $72 million production budget. Ketchup Entertainment later acquired the film for $50 million, saving it from obscurity. Early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with critics awarding it a 94% "fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers laud it as a "hilarious delight" and a "charming, laugh-out-loud funny tribute" to animated history, likening its plot of Wile E. Coyote suing Acme to a classic courtroom drama, with Forte as his lawyer and Cena as his ex-boss.

Coyote vs. Acme, the animated/live-action Looney Tunes movie starring John Cena and Will Forte that was saved from extinction at Warner Bros. by Ketchup Entertainment, is winning over Rotten Tomatoes critics.

Directed by Dave Green, Coyote vs. Acme, of course, was originally one of the films shelved by Warner Bros. in November 2023 so the studio could take a tax write-off on the film, which, per The Hollywood Reporter, had a $72 million production budget. Then, in March 2025, Ketchup Entertainment — the studio that previously acquired The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie for release — purchased Coyote vs. Acme from Warner Bros. for $50 million.

Now, more than a year later, Ketchup Entertainment will release Coyote vs. Acme nationwide on Aug. 28. In early reviews of the film — in which Wile E. Coyote sues the Acme Corporation after years of his attempts to catch Roadrunner prove futile — Rotten Tomatoes critics are unanimous in their celebration of the film. Forte plays Wile E.’s lawyer, while Cena is his ex-boss.

The review embargo for the film lifted on Wednesday and so far, Coyote vs. Acme has earned a 94% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 31 reviews. RT’s Critics Consensus, Audience Summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.

Note: This article will be updated with more RT critics’ reviews as they are posted.

Among the top critics on RT who award Coyote vs. Acme a “fresh” score Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter, who writes in his “fresh” review summary, “It’s a pleasure to report that the film is a hilarious delight, one of the best live-action/animation films ever, and will be treasured by Looney Tunes fans (and who isn’t one?).”

Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence is also a fan of Coyote vs. Acme, calling the film “a charming, laugh-out-loud funny tribute to decades of animated history, even as it reflects a world of harsh realities.”

In his “fresh” breakdown of the film on RT, William Bibbiani of The Wrap writes, “It’s the Looney Tunes version of classic courtroom dramas like The Verdict and Erin Brockovich, and although it parodies those films it also tries, successfully, to make us feel the way those other great underdog stories make us feel.”

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com writes in his “fresh” RT review summary, “It’s a reminder that there are ways to homage decades of animated comedy without feeling like fan service, bringing these characters to both new fans and the old ones who may have forgotten how much they love them.”

Meanwhile, Jacob Oller of AV Club’s “fresh” RT review summary reads, “It’s a Looney Dark Waters, both winningly silly and slyly intelligent about what winning really means, all wrapped into a referential live-action Tune world not unlike our own.”

Owen Gleiberman of Variety is among the top critics on RT who gives Coyote vs. Acme a “rotten” score, writing, “It could have been called Remembrance of Rube Goldberg Bombs Past. Yet there’s a certain way that Coyote vs. Acme, next to those cartoons, feels neutered and tame.”