New Original Fantasy Movie With Near-Perfect RT Score Officially Removed From 1,400 Theaters

Forgotten Island just lost a lot of theaters.

Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado, the DreamWorks Animation movie follows two best friends who become stranded in a mystical world called Nakali, with the sacrifice of their shared memories becoming their only chance at escape. Forgotten Island hit theaters on September 25, opening on 3,548 screens before expanding to 3,555 in weekend two.

Per Box Office Mojo, Forgotten Island played in just 2,149 theaters in its fourth weekend, a drop of around 1,400. This drop comprises a dip of 657 in weekend three and an additional 749 in weekend four. It’s not necessarily unusual to see films experience a decline in their number of theaters after three or four weeks, but the drop for the DreamWorks movie does accompany a disappointing haul at the box office.

The film grossed another $2.3 million in North America in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $35.2 million. Internationally, Forgotten Island has grossed $25.3 million, making a worldwide total of $60.6 million. The film was made on an estimated budget of $80 million, making it a significant disappointment at the box office and suggesting that the sequel setup in the Forgotten Island ending will remain unexplored.

Though the animated fantasy adventure film has flopped theatrically, it has been a major win with critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, Forgotten Island enjoys a stunning 94% critics’ score, with the Popcornmeter even higher at 95%. The film has been widely praised for its visuals and its incorporation of elements of Filipino folklore, as well as the touching exploration of friendship at the heart of the story.

ScreenRant‘s Forgotten Island review by Alex Harrison is also positive at a score of eight out of 10. For Harrison, the movie, which features voice performances from H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, and Jo Koy, excels in part due to its marriage of strong humor and creative animation. He writes:

The script is genuinely funny, but what makes Forgotten Island so successful as a comedy is that the writing and animation are in lock-step. This film is overflowing with visual creativity; rules for character design and physics exist solely to be broken over and over again in delightfully ridiculous ways. In truth, there’s far too much here to process in one viewing, but the point isn’t to absorb every single moment – it’s to be swept up in the manic energy they create in unison.

For directors Crawford and Mercado, Forgotten Island continues the acclaim they received with their last joint venture: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). The Shrek spinoff film has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a 94% from audiences, almost exactly matching their newest film. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish fared far better at the box office, however, grossing $480 million worldwide.

With such stellar reviews and eye-catching visuals, it’s entirely possible that Forgotten Island will become more of a success on VOD. The film arrives on digital on October 27, meaning there isn’t long to wait before it becomes available to rent and purchase on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Fandango at Home. The movie also seems destined to be a strong performer with families and younger viewers when it eventually arrives on streaming.

With Forgotten Island having just lost about 1,400 theaters, time may be running out for those hoping to experience the film’s gorgeous visuals on the big screen. Once the movie is available on VOD next week, it could lose additional screens.