Coyote vs. Acme Beats Dog Stars; Spider-Man Nears $900M — SkimNews
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- Coyote vs. Acme opened to $15.4M on a $10M marketing budget from Ketchup Entertainment, landing at No. 2 and setting the indie distributor's all-time best opening, beating its prior Warner Bros Looney Tunes rescue 'The Day the Earth Blew Up' ($3.1M)
- Dog Stars debuted at just $8M against a $70M production budget, earning a C+ CinemaScore and 41% definite recommend, drawing comparisons to Darren Aronofsky's 2024 flop 'Caught Stealing' ($7.8M opening, $19M final)
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day held No. 1 with $22.2M in its fifth weekend (-43%), pushing domestic total to $891.5M and closing in on becoming only the second film after 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' to cross $900M domestically
- Ketchup Entertainment paid $50M for distribution rights to the Warner Bros-written-off film, outbidding Paramount and Netflix, after Paramount's earlier sub-distribution plans collapsed due to Warner Bros release-date restrictions
- The Odyssey added $14.3M (-27%) in its seventh frame for a $563.8M total, while Insidious: Out of the Further dropped 60% to $10.1M in its second weekend ($43.6M total)
- RelishMix data showed Dog Stars running -15% behind comparable action films on social media, with Josh Brolin the only cast member activated (3.8M followers) out of the film's 181M total social reach
Why it matters: Ketchup Entertainment proved that a theatrical distributor can beat a major studio's $70M auteur film using $10M in P&A and an engaged fanbase — Ketchup's $50M acquisition gamble is already shaping up profitable against the $15.4M opening alone, while Disney's decision to date a slow-burn Scott film in late August without festival launch mirrors last year's 'Caught Stealing' misfire.
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