Director Taika Waititi has publicly criticized film reviewers following the disappointing reception of his new movie, Klara and the Sun. The science-fiction drama, starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, opened in United States theaters on October 23, 2026, and has received largely negative reviews despite a more positive response from audiences.
Waititi addressed the criticism in an Instagram post around Halloween, describing some reviewers as failed artists who had turned to criticism instead. His remarks followed reports of disappointing ticket sales and a substantial difference between the film's Rotten Tomatoes critic and audience scores.
The filmmaker said he had stopped reading reviews of his work and that of his colleagues nearly 15 years ago. However, he maintained that he still pays attention to what ordinary moviegoers think.
Waititi ended his remarks by describing critics as "Irrelevant. Out of touch. Obsolete. In the bin." He also suggested that some of the people criticizing his latest movie were among those who disliked his 2019 film Jojo Rabbit.
The comments attracted attention because Jojo Rabbit was generally well received by professional reviewers. The film earned an 81% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and won Waititi an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2020.
Critics and Audiences Disagree Over the Film
The different reactions to Klara and the Sun are central to Waititi's argument. On October 31, reports placed its Rotten Tomatoes critics' approval rating between 26% and 28%, while its audience rating ranged from approximately 74% to 78%.
These percentages reflect the share of reviews classified as positive rather than an average numerical rating. The figures can also change as new professional reviews and audience ratings are added.
Waititi shared material highlighting the stronger audience response and referred to a Screen Rant report about the movie finding support among viewers. His post suggested that audience reactions deserved greater attention than the opinions of professional critics.
TheWrap reported that Waititi had directly challenged reviewers following the film's poor reception. His criticism was not directed at a single published review but at critics as a group.
One particularly negative assessment came from TheWrap critic William Bibbiani, who argued that the film struggled to create convincing emotions. Bibbiani praised Ortega's commitment to portraying the central robot character but found the storytelling excessively sentimental.
His review argued that the adaptation overlooked some of the difficult questions raised by its source material. Rather than allowing those ideas to develop naturally, he believed the film relied too heavily on manufactured emotional moments.
Other reviewers expressed similar concerns about the movie's tone and its treatment of the original story. Time Out criticized the adaptation for replacing the novel's subtle approach with broader humor and sentimentality.
The disagreement does not necessarily mean audiences and critics are responding to entirely different qualities. Professional reviewers may place greater emphasis on adaptation, narrative structure and filmmaking techniques, while viewers can connect with individual performances and emotional themes.
Rotten Tomatoes scores alone cannot establish why the two groups differ. They also do not measure the opinions of every person who has seen the movie.
What Is 'Klara and the Sun' About?
Klara and the Sun is based on the 2021 novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro. The story explores artificial intelligence, loneliness, family relationships and what it means to experience human emotions.
Ortega plays Klara, an artificial companion designed to provide friendship and emotional support. In the movie's near-future setting, artificial companions have become a commercial product for families seeking help with their children's social needs.
Klara meets Josie, played by Mia Tharia, a young girl dealing with serious personal and family difficulties. Amy Adams portrays Josie's mother, whose relationship with her daughter adds tension to the household.
As Klara becomes part of the family, her innocence and loyalty begin to influence the people around her. Her understanding of the world is limited, but she develops strong attachments and tries to help those she cares about.
The story also explores the unusual way Klara views the sun. Because she depends on solar energy, she develops a powerful belief in its importance and associates it with healing and hope.
The supporting cast includes Steve Buscemi, Natasha Lyonne and Aran Murphy. Waititi directed the film and shares screenplay credit with Dahvi Waller.
Sony Pictures describes the movie as a story about companionship and the possibility of healing a family through an unconventional friendship. Its central questions concern the relationships between humans and artificial beings and whether emotional understanding requires human experience.
Box Office Struggles Add Pressure
The critical response has been accompanied by disappointing theatrical earnings. Klara and the Sun opened in approximately 880 United States theaters and earned about $701,000 during its first domestic weekend.
According to box office tracking service The Numbers, the film had earned approximately $1.07 million domestically and $1.74 million worldwide in figures available around October 31.
The initial figures placed the movie well outside the highest-grossing releases at the domestic box office. Its opening-weekend average was approximately $797 per theater, suggesting limited ticket demand across its release locations.
Reports also indicated that Sony Pictures was reducing the scope of the film's international theatrical rollout. However, a smaller release does not establish the movie's eventual financial performance, since its production budget and complete distribution costs have not been confirmed in the available reporting.
The film could still reach additional viewers through later home-entertainment and streaming distribution. Those potential audiences are not reflected in its initial theatrical earnings.
Waititi's Previous Films Received Strong Reviews
Waititi's criticism of reviewers stands in contrast to the reception of several earlier projects. His films What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok all received strong critical approval.
His 2019 film Jojo Rabbit was especially significant for his career. The World War II satire earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and brought Waititi his first competitive Oscar.
The filmmaker later directed Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022 and Next Goal Wins in 2023. Both received less favorable critical reactions than many of his earlier movies.
Waititi has frequently combined comedy with difficult emotional subjects. Klara and the Sun follows that approach but places greater emphasis on science fiction and the relationship between artificial intelligence and human vulnerability.
The film's reception also comes during wider discussions about the growing role of artificial intelligence in everyday life. Ishiguro's novel addresses the emotional responsibilities people may develop toward machines designed to imitate companionship.
Waititi's adaptation brings those questions to movie theaters at a time when artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly familiar to the public. The mixed reception suggests that its themes have not been equally successful with all viewers.
For now, Waititi has made clear that he gives greater weight to audience reactions than professional reviews of his latest work. Whether the film develops a larger following will depend on its reception beyond the opening weeks of its theatrical release.
