Epic Fantasy Movie With Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score Pulled From Hundreds Of Theaters

Published Oct 14, 2026, 12:45 PM EDT

Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.

Less than a month after its theatrical release, a critically acclaimed new DreamWorks fantasy film is already being pulled from hundreds of theaters.

DreamWorks is best known for iconic and beloved movies like Chicken Run, Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon. All of these movies have at least one sequel, with Shrek's fifth installment set for 2027 and How to Train Your Dragon already receiving a live-action remake.

Despite leaning into popular franchises, DreamWorks is still making original content, with its latest, Forgotten Island, released on September 25. Unfortunately, the animated film settled for fifth place on opening weekend, behind Avengers: Endgame Encore, Resident Evil, Heart of the Beast, and Primetime.

It's only been in theaters for two and a half weeks, but Forgotten Island has already been removed from hundreds of domestic theaters, according to Box Office Mojo.

On opening weekend, when it grossed $13 million domestically and $20 million globally, Forgotten Island was shown in 3,548 North American theaters. Last weekend, it pulled out of 650 locations, leaving 2,898 theaters still screening the DreamWorks film. To date, the feature has grossed $31.6 million domestically and $51.7 million worldwide, and is currently sixth at the box office.

Although it's been a commercial failure, Forgotten Island earned positive reviews, with a Certified Fresh score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes; the audience score is nearly the same at 95%.

Directed and written by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, Forgotten Island tells the story of two best friends in the '90s who are about to go their separate ways after graduation but don't want to forget each other. They're transported to a magical island and work to keep their memories from fading.

The voice cast includes H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Manny Jacinto, Jenny Slate, Lea Salonga, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, and Ronny Chieng.

Some hugely successful animated films released in 2026 include Toy Story 5, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Minions & Monsters, all of which are on the list of the year's top 10 highest-grossing movies. Other animated flicks this year include Hoppers, GOAT, Animal Farm, Coyote vs. Acme, and Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie.

DreamWorks will have more chances at finding box office success next year with CoComelon: The Movie, Shrek 5, and the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2. Until then, Forgotten Island is still in more than 2,000 theaters and will likely be released on digital platforms sometime this fall.