MANILA — DreamWorks Animation’s Filipino-inspired “Forgotten Island” has found a strong audience in the Philippines, topping the local box office during its opening weekend while drawing positive reviews from critics and moviegoers.

The animated film earned ₱97,236,533 during its Philippine opening, according to a report carrying figures from Universal Pictures. The result made it the country’s biggest opening for a Universal Pictures release in 2026.

Box Office Mojo separately recorded a USD1.532-million opening in the Philippines, placing “Forgotten Island” at No. 1 during its September 23–27 opening period across 207 cinemas.

The local response is notable for an original animated film built heavily around Filipino culture and mythology.

“Forgotten Island” follows best friends Jo and Raissa, voiced by Filipino-American singer H.E.R. and Filipina actress Liza Soberano, as they enter the magical island of Nakali and encounter creatures inspired by stories from their Filipino families.

Its voice cast also includes Lea Salonga, Dolly de Leon, Manny Jacinto and Jo Koy, alongside Dave Franco, Jenny Slate and Ronny Chieng. DreamWorks lists Joel Crawford and Filipino-American filmmaker Januel Mercado as the film’s writers and directors.

Filipino artists also have a presence in the movie’s music, with BINI contributing “A Parallel World” to the soundtrack.

The film has also received strong critical and audience reception.

As of September 29, Rotten Tomatoes lists “Forgotten Island” with a 95-percent critics’ score from 94 reviews and a 96-percent audience score from more than 500 verified ratings. Its critics’ consensus praises the movie’s combination of friendship, imagination and Filipino folklore.

Reviews have particularly highlighted the film’s cultural references, animation and central friendship story. The Associated Press described the movie as an energetic fantasy rooted in Filipino folklore and gave it three out of four stars.

The strong Philippine performance, however, has not been matched by the film’s initial North American box office.

“Forgotten Island” opened with USD12.8 million in the United States and Canada and had reached about USD20.6 million worldwide after its first major weekend of release. Variety described the North American opening as softer than expected, although the film had yet to open in several international markets.

That makes its Philippine performance one of the early bright spots in the film’s theatrical run.

For Filipino audiences, the success also puts a major-studio animated story centered on Philippine mythology, language, talent and culture at the top of the local box office.

“Forgotten Island” remains in cinemas as its international rollout continues.

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