The Forgotten Island box office story is one of the strangest of 2026: DreamWorks Animation’s best-reviewed film ever opened to an estimated $12.8–13 million domestically over the September 25–27 weekend — one of the five worst openings in the studio’s history — despite a 95% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, an A CinemaScore, and rave audience reactions.
The original fantasy adventure, rooted in Filipino mythology, cost a reported $80 million to produce and took in roughly $20.6 million worldwide. It finished fifth at the domestic box office in a crowded weekend led by the Avengers: Endgame re-release.
Forgotten Island Box Office Numbers: A Painful Debut
According to box office data reported by Cartoon Brew, Forgotten Island opened in 3,548 theaters and earned just $12.8 million domestically. Internationally, Comscore estimates put the overseas weekend at approximately $5.64 million, bringing the worldwide total to about $20.65 million.
The debut fell short of even modest industry tracking, which had the film opening in the $15–17 million range. Nobody showed up — despite the kind of reviews studios dream about.
The contrast is jarring. Forgotten Island holds 95% from critics and 96–97% from verified audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, earned an A from CinemaScore, and posted a 93% positive score on PostTrak, with 82–83% of respondents saying they would “definitely recommend” it, according to Cartoon Brew. As one analysis put it: DreamWorks does not appear to have a word-of-mouth problem; it has a getting-people-into-the-theater problem.
What Is Forgotten Island About?
Forgotten Island is an original fantasy adventure comedy directed by Puss in Boots: The Last Wish filmmakers Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado. The film follows two friends stranded on a magical island drawn from Filipino folklore, rendered in an irreverent mixed-media visual style.
The casting is notable: the film assembled one of the deepest benches of Filipino talent ever put together for a major Hollywood feature, including Lea Salonga — Broadway’s Miss Saigon star and the singing voice of both Mulan and Jasmine — as Manang, alongside Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon of Triangle of Sadness fame, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Amielynn Abellera, Dave Franco, and Jenny Slate.
DreamWorks and Universal were bullish. The studio screened an unfinished cut at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, surprised audiences at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival with a rapturous response, rolled out a full-scale marketing campaign including a San Diego Comic-Con panel and a branding deal with the Filipino fast food chain Jollibee, and premiered the film at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. According to an analysis by TheWrap, early buzz had Universal so optimistic there were quiet discussions around sequels and even potential theme park attractions.
Original Animation’s Ongoing Crisis
The Forgotten Island box office flop fits a grim pattern for original animation this decade. Elio, Wish, Strange World, and Ruby Gillman were all original films — and all bombed. Even this year’s Hoppers, at $390 million worldwide, pales next to the Inside Out and Coco era.
According to TheWrap’s analysis, the current original animated champion of the decade is still Pixar’s Elemental, which topped out at about $496 million worldwide in 2023 — and no original animated title has cleared $500 million worldwide in nine years. Compare that to the previous decade, which produced Frozen ($1.28 billion), Zootopia ($1.02 billion), The Secret Life of Pets ($875 million), Inside Out ($859 million), Coco ($823 million), Sing ($639 million), and Brave ($539 million).
Families, it seems, will reliably pay for Toy Story 5 — but convincing them to take a chance on something new has become the industry’s hardest problem.
Can Word of Mouth Save Forgotten Island?
There is one reason for cautious optimism: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Crawford and Mercado’s previous film opened to an almost identical $12.4 million in December 2022 — albeit with the excuse of a historically strong winter storm — before extraordinary word of mouth carried it to $186.1 million domestically and around $480 million worldwide.
Forgotten Island has no storm excuse and no holiday positioning, so nobody should expect it to duplicate that run. But its enthusiastic audience response offers some hope that this weekend is not the end of the story. October’s only animated competition is Laika’s PG-13 Wildwood, which gives the film a clear runway if families discover it late.
The crowded weekend did not help: the film opened against the Avengers: Endgame Encore re-release, the Resident Evil sequel, and new releases starring Brad Pitt and Robert Pattinson — a frame where even the winner took only $26 million. The Coyote vs. Acme story has shown how unpredictable animated features’ fortunes can be this year.
FAQ
How much did Forgotten Island make at the box office opening weekend?
Forgotten Island opened to an estimated $12.8–13 million domestically and about $20.65 million worldwide over the September 25–27, 2026 weekend, finishing fifth at the North American box office. Its production budget was reportedly $80 million.
What is Forgotten Island’s Rotten Tomatoes score?
Forgotten Island holds approximately 95% from critics and 96–97% from verified audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of DreamWorks Animation’s best-reviewed films ever. It also earned an A CinemaScore and 93% positive on PostTrak.
Who directed Forgotten Island and who is in the cast?
The film was directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the filmmakers behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The cast includes Lea Salonga, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Amielynn Abellera, Dave Franco, and Jenny Slate.
Is Forgotten Island one of DreamWorks’ biggest flops?
With a $12.8 million domestic opening against an $80 million budget, it ranks among the five worst openings in DreamWorks Animation history. However, its strong audience reception means word of mouth could still improve its run, similar to how The Last Wish recovered from a $12.4 million opening to reach $480 million worldwide.
Sources: Cartoon Brew, World of Reel
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.