Jollibee is activating a chain-wide limited-time program tied to DreamWorks Animation's new original film Forgotten Island, launching September 16 at all North American locations and running through October 31, 2026. The partnership bundles film-inspired meal deals, blind-box collectible charms, a co-branded apparel line, and a consumer sweepstakes into one of the Filipino QSR's most layered promotional campaigns to date.
The Meal Program
Three Forgotten Island-branded box meals anchor the LTO. The 2-piece Box Meal pairs Chickenjoy fried chicken (original or spicy) with steamed rice, gravy, Peach Mango Pie, and a new Calamansi Lemonade. A Chicken Sandwich Box Meal and a 6-piece Bucket Bundle round out the lineup, each including blind-box foil packs containing one of eight collectible bracelet charms — with a rare "Golden Bucket" charm seeded into the mix. Customers can add a blank chain bracelet for $2 with a qualifying meal purchase in-store. The Calamansi Lemonade, made with the tangy Filipino citrus, marks a new beverage introduction for the chain; select locations will also offer a blended Calamansi Lemonade Freeze.
Beyond the Counter
The collaboration extends well past the menu board. Immersive store takeovers will transform three high-visibility U.S. locations — Manhattan's East 42nd Street, Torrance, CA, and Daly City, CA — into themed environments inspired by the film's fictional island of Nakali. A limited-edition apparel line, available on Jollibee's Jolly Merch Shop, includes a $35 T-shirt and $75 hoodie launching September 16, plus a $75 retro windbreaker dropping October 2 exclusively through Complex Shop. Jollibee Rewards members can enter a sweepstakes for prizes ranging from branded merchandise and domestic travel packages to a grand-prize trip for two to Palawan Island in the Philippines.
Filipino Culture at the Center
The Forgotten Island film itself carries notable cultural weight for the brand. The DreamWorks production features Filipino and Filipino-American talent throughout its voice cast, including Grammy and Academy Award-winning H.E.R., actress Liza Soberano, Tony Award-winning Lea Salonga, and comedian Jo Koy, with co-director Januel Mercado among its creative leads. For Jollibee — the Philippines' dominant QSR operator with more than 1,800 stores across 16 countries — the alignment gives the chain a culturally resonant platform to deepen its North American footprint beyond menu innovation alone.
"This partnership is a wonderful reflection of Jollibee's heritage and our commitment to creating memorable, happy moments around great food," said Luis Velasco, Senior Vice President and Marketing Head at Jollibee North America.
For operators watching how QSR brands use entertainment IP to drive traffic and check averages, Jollibee's Forgotten Island playbook is notable for its layered structure: the LTO ties together a new beverage SKU, a collectible mechanic designed to encourage repeat visits, a loyalty-gated sweepstakes, and apparel retail — all anchored to a single theatrical window. It's a model increasingly common among chains looking to maximize promotional ROI from a single campaign cycle, a trend well-documented in beverage and foodservice industry analysis as brands compete for share-of-occasion with younger consumers.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
