Netflix, Amazon and Paramount wanted Coyote vs. Acme, but WBD said no

Last fall, Warner Bros. Discovery seemed willing to entertain the idea of ​​allowing another studio to release director Dave Green’s film. Coyote vs. Acme after initially announcing his plans to Bat girl (read: cancel in exchange for tax deductions) the film almost finished in early November. But according to a new report, the studio rejected multiple offers that could have led to the conflicting project finally seeing the light of day, with the final decisions being made by executives who hadn’t actually seen the finished film.

According The coatAmazon, Netflix and Paramount were more than interested in securing the rights to debut. Coyote vs. Acme for themselves after Warner Bros. changed its stance and gave the filmmakers behind the live-action/CGI hybrid project a chance to compare it to other studios. But while each of the studios reportedly submitted “attractive offers” for the rights (and Paramount even included plans for a theatrical release), none reached the $75 million to $80 million figure that WBD was apparently seeking.

That studios are optimistic about the prices they’re willing to sell distribution rights for is one thing, but WBD reportedly steadfastly refused to listen to any counteroffers. And while all offers from interested buyers were based, in part, on the good reception Coyote vs. Acme At internal screenings, none of WBD’s executives (CEO and president David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairmen Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation president Bill Damaschke) , who shot down those potential deals, saw the final product for themselves.

There are several reasons Warner Bros. Discovery could come up with to explain why it repeatedly turned down the opportunity to make some easy money by allowing someone else to release a movie it wants nothing to do with. We’ll probably never know the truth, but in reality it seems that the studio leadership just can’t want streaming, or in theaters, or even being a topic of conversation right now. It’s… certainly a choice, and the company seems determined to stick with it, but it’s hard to imagine this inspiring much confidence in the filmmakers still working with the studio.