Taika Waititi has made his position on film criticism very clear. The Oscar-winning director took to Instagram on Saturday, October 31, 2026, to respond to negative reviews of his latest film, Klara and the Sun. In a post that quickly spread across social media, Waititi claimed he has not read a review of his work or his peers’ work in almost 15 years. He also described the critics who disliked his new film as “sad lost souls” and labeled their opinions “irrelevant,” “out of touch,” and “obsolete.”
The post came days after Klara and the Sun opened in 880 theaters in North America on October 23, 2026, earning just $701,059 in its opening weekend. The film, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel, stars Jenna Ortega as a solar-powered android companion named Klara and Amy Adams as her new owner’s mother. It currently holds a 26% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest of Waititi’s career.
What Taika Waititi Said in His Instagram Post
Waititi shared an image of the film’s poster showing its Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 78% at the time. In the caption, he wrote:
“I haven’t read a review of anything aimed at me or my peers in almost 15 years. But I do listen to the people.”
He continued with a direct message to critics:
“So this Halloween, let’s spare a thought for those sad lost souls who couldn’t achieve their dreams of becoming artists, and thus became critics. The same people who also hated Jojo Rabbit. Irrelevant. Out of touch. Obsolete. In the bin.”
The post ended with a laugh-crying emoji and a shrugging emoji, according to screenshots shared by Entertainment Weekly and Variety. The audience score has since shifted slightly, moving to around 73% to 74% as more viewers logged their ratings.
The Box Office Numbers Behind the Backlash
Klara and the Sun was released by Sony Pictures Releasing through 3000 Pictures and Spyglass Media Group. The film had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15, 2026, before opening in the United States and the United Kingdom on October 23, 2026.
The opening weekend numbers were far below expectations for a film with a reported budget between $20 million and $40 million. The film earned $701,059 from 880 locations, giving it a per-theater average of roughly $797. It debuted outside the top 10 at the domestic box office. By the end of its second weekend, the film had added just $145,000, bringing its domestic total to approximately $1.1 million. Worldwide, the film has grossed around $1.4 million to $1.7 million as of early November 2026.
Sony reportedly scaled back the film’s theatrical footprint after the poor critical reception. The studio had originally planned a wider release of over 2,000 theaters, but reduced it to 880 locations before opening weekend. The film also faced strong competition from Clayface, Wildwood, and other October releases.
International Release Cancelled in Spain
The film’s international rollout has also been affected. Sony cancelled the planned theatrical release of Klara and the Sun in Spain, according to Spanish outlet Hobby Consolas and reports from ScreenRant and Collider. The decision was reportedly made to “minimize losses” after the film’s negative reviews and low commercial expectations in the region. Other European markets were expected to follow, though no further cancellations have been officially confirmed.
For audiences in India, the film was listed for release on October 23, 2026, in English. It is rated PG-13 and runs for 116 minutes. The film was produced by 3000 Pictures, Heyday Films, Piki Films, and Defender Films, with Michael Giacchino composing the score. It is Waititi’s fourth collaboration with Giacchino, following Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Love and Thunder, and other projects.
Jenna Ortega Also Avoids Reviews
Waititi is not the only person connected to the film who stays away from reviews. Jenna Ortega, who plays the titular android, told Vogue in a recent interview that she does not read reviews of her films.
“That would send me into a psychosis of some sort,” Ortega said.
She also said she tries not to keep track of box office numbers, even when her team sends them to her. “I don’t want it to become a numbers thing,” she explained. Ortega’s stance echoes Waititi’s claim that he listens to audiences rather than professional critics.
The Critic Versus Audience Divide
The gap between the critic score and the audience score for Klara and the Sun is one of the widest for a major 2026 release. At its peak, the audience score sat at 78% while the critic score was 26%, a difference of 52 percentage points. Critics described the film as “listless,” “uneven,” “calamitous,” and “middle of the road,” according to reviews compiled by Entertainment Weekly. The A.V. Club’s own review called it a mix of “undercooked social satire, adrift performers, and Waititi’s tendency to resort to smarmy caricature.”
Some early social media viewers disagreed with the critical consensus. A few posts on X (formerly Twitter) called the film a “return to form” for Waititi, praising its visuals and performances. However, the overall online conversation around the film’s release was dominated by the box office failure and the director’s response to critics.
Fan reaction to Waititi’s Instagram post has been mixed. Some users cheered his unapologetic stance, while others pointed out that a director who claims not to read reviews seems to know exactly what critics said about his film. Slant Magazine noted the irony: “Waititi says he hasn’t read a review of his work in almost 15 years, which makes it all the more impressive that he knows exactly what critics thought of Jojo Rabbit.”
A Look at Waititi’s Rotten Tomatoes History
Klara and the Sun is now the lowest-rated film in Waititi’s filmography on Rotten Tomatoes. His previous lowest was Next Goal Wins (2023) at 46%. His other films include:
- What We Do in the Shadows (2014): 96% critics, 87% audience
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016): 97% critics, 91% audience
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017): 93% critics, 87% audience
- Jojo Rabbit (2019): 81% critics, 92% audience
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022): 64% critics, 57% audience
Waititi’s claim that the same critics who disliked Klara and the Sun also hated Jojo Rabbit is not supported by the numbers. Jojo Rabbit received an 81% critic score and won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Some critics did criticize the film at the time, but the majority response was positive.
What the Film Is About
Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Klara and the Sun is set in a dystopian future where artificial intelligence and genetic engineering have reshaped society. Jenna Ortega plays Klara, an Artificial Friend (AF) designed to keep lonely children company. She is purchased for Josie (played by Mia Tharia), a teenager dealing with a serious illness. Amy Adams plays Josie’s mother. The supporting cast includes Aran Murphy, Steve Buscemi, and Natasha Lyonne. The screenplay was written by Taika Waititi and Dahvi Waller, who previously worked on the series Mrs. America.
The film’s release comes at a time of wider debate about artificial intelligence in Hollywood. At the New York premiere, Waititi told The Hollywood Reporter:
“There’s a big discussion about AI coming in: Will people use it? How much will they use it? I know it’s probably inevitable that we end up using it in our industry, but as long as it’s used by humans as a tool, as opposed to a replacement — I don’t want to replace humans. I want to work with them.”
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A Note on the Numbers
All box office figures are based on reports from Box Office Mojo, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and ScreenRant as of November 2, 2026. Rotten Tomatoes scores are live and can change as more reviews and audience ratings are submitted. The film’s budget has been reported between $20 million and $40 million by different outlets. Sony has not publicly confirmed the exact production cost.
Also Read: Jenna Ortega’s Sister Reacts to Online Talk About the Actress’ Recent Appearance
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