There was a fair amount to celebrate at the box office over the weekend. “Avengers: Endgame” returned to the top of the charts seven years after its initial release. Meanwhile, a couple of non-franchise movies found success, and Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” continued to rule the box office following its killer opening. But they can’t all be winners. Unfortunately, for Universal Pictures and DreamWorks, “Forgotten Island” flopped in its debut, despite being met with near-universal praise.
“Forgotten Island” opened to an estimated $12.8 million domestically over the weekend, which was only good enough for fifth place on the charts behind newcomers like Robert Pattinson’s Chris Hansen movie “Primetime” ($19.1 million) and Brad Pitt’s survival thriller “Heart of the Beast” ($20 million). It doesn’t look like overseas audiences are going to bail this one out, either as it took in just $7.8 million internationally, giving it a $20.6 million global start. Even against a relatively modest (for a DreamWorks animated feature) $80 million budget, that’s a terrible start.
It’s a tough break in light of the fact that “Forgotten Island” is undoubtedly going to make it on the list of the best animated movies of 2026. It currently holds a stellar 95% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes to go with a 96% audience rating. People love it, but that love didn’t translate to ticket sales.
In DreamWorks Animation’s latest, best friends Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) are celebrating their last night together when they stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali, which is packed with magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing stories about from their Filipino families. Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado (“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”) occupied the directors’ chairs.
Forgotten Island is the latest original animated movie to struggle at the box office
To become an unqualified hit, “Forgotten Island” would need to make over/under $200 million worldwide or roughly 10 times its global opening figure. To say that’s unlikely would be putting it kindly, though it’s not impossible. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” had quite the remarkable box office run in 2023. After opening to just $12.4 million in December 2022, it legged out like wild to earn $480.4 million worldwide.
Then, the following year, “Migration” overcame its rough opening weekend to become a box office hit. It also opened to $12.4 million in December 2023, legging out and crossing the $300 million mark globally before all was said and done. Not for nothing, those were Universal Pictures releases as well. However, they had the benefit of arriving in December, which can be a very leggy period as January is often a total dead zone.
Sad to say, the latest, acclaimed original movie by DreamWorks Animation doesn’t have the odds in its favor as a September release. It’s yet another example of a recent original animated film struggling in theaters, too, after Pixar’s “Elio” flopped at the box office in 2025. Indeed, the only original Pixar film to become a no-holds-barred theatrical hit in the 2020s remains “Elemental,” which had a miraculous turnaround after a soft opening.
Disney’s “Strange World” bombed at the box office as well, as did “Wish” in 2023. Even outside of the Mouse House, “GOAT” ($195 million worldwide) only did so-so earlier this year. Sadly, for the time being, audiences seem far more interested in established fare, even when it comes to animated movies. Hopefully, that tide eventually turns, but it’s tough sledding out there right now.
“Forgotten Island” is currently in theaters.
