Coyote vs. Acme Debuts at No. 2 Behind Spider-Man, While The Dog Stars Opens Weakly

Ketchup Entertainment released Coyote vs. Acme on 3,575 North American screens, generating $15.4 million over the weekend after a $5.3 million Friday. The hybrid animation/live-action film, starring Will Forte, Lana Condor and John Cena, received an A grade from CinemaScore and holds a 95 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie marks the strongest opening for the independent distributor, surpassing its previous best, The Day the Earth Blew Up, which opened to $3.5 million in March. Although its debut was lower than the average $23.2 million for recent hybrid releases, analysts expect ancillary markets to help recoup its roughly $70 million budget.

"The film is a hilarious delight," wrote a Hollywood Reporter critic.

In fifth place, Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars opened in 3,300 locations with $8 million domestically. The adaptation of Peter Heller’s 2012 novel stars Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley and Guy Pearce and holds a 41 percent critic score and a 70 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

"The movie is minor-key to a fault," said another Hollywood Reporter critic.

Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day retained the top spot for a fifth weekend, adding $22.2 million to bring its domestic total to $891.5 million, making it the second-highest-grossing film in U.S. history. Globally, the film moved to fourth place on the all-time worldwide box-office list with a total of $2.332 billion.

Universal’s The Odyssey held third place with $14.3 million, while Sony’s Insidious: Out of the Further earned $10.1 million in its second weekend. Roadside Attractions’ Buddy debuted at seventh with $5.3 million.

FranchiseRe estimates the summer box-office total for the weekend at $97 million, down from $130.5 million the previous week, and projects the season’s cumulative gross at $4.444 billion, 25.5 percent above last year’s total.