Filipinos rode the tide together.
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| (C) Universal |
DreamWorks’ latest feature, Forgotten Island, is off to a great start in the Philippines. The animated feature opened to a robust $1.532 million, with Deadline reporting it as the #1 movie in the country, ahead of newcomers Avengers Endgame: Encore and Heart of the Beast.
The opening is the biggest so far for distributor Universal Pictures this year, beating Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey ($1.4 million). It has also set a new record for the biggest opening for an original animated movie in the country in the post-pandemic era. Among recent Universal animated releases, it opened ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Despicable Me 4, and Minions & Monsters. The film exploded over the weekend, with sold-out shows reported across the country.
It’s no surprise that Forgotten Island is one of the biggest overseas markets for the film, given its Filipino connections. Liza Soberano and H.E.R. even visited the country a month ahead of its release to kick off the film’s promotional tour. Their interviews with Karen Davila and Boy Abunda were seen by hundreds of thousands of viewers. They also visited popular digital creators such as Recreate and FEATR, while popular music acts BINI and SB19 attended early screenings of the film. Jollibee, meanwhile, partnered with the film to offer a limited-time Forgotten Island Adventure Bundle, which features a charm bracelet.
With a strong opening, the film is likely to secure a good number of screens in the coming weekend, despite the plethora of newcomers led by Always Yours, Never Mine and Verity.
