El Coyote leaves Spider-Man behind and conquers Mexico’s box office

The Coyote finally turned the tables. After decades of failed traps, explosions and expensive ACME gadgets, Wile E. Coyote opened at the top of Mexico’s box office, ahead of Spider-Man.

“Coyote vs. ACME” earned 73.84 million pesos and drew 1.17 million people to theaters, according to the National Chamber of the Motion Picture Industry, known as Canacine. “Spider-Man: A New Day” took in 37.73 million pesos and attracted 584,770 viewers during the same period.

The comparison comes with an important qualification. The Marvel film had already been in theaters for several weeks and had accumulated more than 1.523 billion pesos in Mexico. In other words, the Coyote did not defeat the superhero in total earnings. It surpassed him during its own opening weekend.

Mexico’s result also stands out because “Spider-Man: A New Day” had led the box office in the United States and Canada for six consecutive weeks. In Mexico, the weekly chart instead belonged to “Coyote vs. ACME.”

The film gives the familiar character a new path. Rather than continuing to buy rockets, springs, explosives and other ACME products in pursuit of the Road Runner, the Coyote takes the company to court. Will Forte plays the lawyer who agrees to represent him, while John Cena portrays ACME’s defense lawyer and Lana Condor joins the human cast. The production mixes live action and animation and brings back characters from the Looney Tunes universe.

The film’s reception may also reflect the long presence of the Tunes in Mexican popular culture. The Coyote, the Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Tweety have reached successive generations through television and cinema. In its first four days, the film sold 1.17 million tickets, exceeding the initial estimate of about 1.1 million and making Mexico one of its strongest markets.