Waititi attacks critics: Klara and the Sun flops

Taika Waititi directed a sharp criticism at film reviewers following the weak opening for his latest project. The director, known for Jojo Rabbit, responded to the commercial performance of Klara and the Sun by targeting those who gave the film low scores. He characterized the critics as individuals who failed to pursue artistic careers and chose criticism as a default path. Waititi posted the comments on social media, framing the dispute as a conflict between the filmmaker and a specific group of observers. He dismissed the reviewers as irrelevant and obsolete in the digital age.

The film's financial performance provides context for the director's frustration. Klara and the Sun was a reported $44 million production. It earned $701,000 in its first weekend across North American theaters. This total spanned 880 venues, resulting in an average of just under $800 per location. The movie ranked 16th in the regional box office charts. By comparison, the film Wicker opened with $5.7 million from 1,471 venues, averaging $3,906 per cinema. Another title, You Can See Everything, reached a cumulative total of $63.8 million after its second weekend.

In the United Kingdom, the film recorded similar low figures. It took in £176,000 from 368 venues during its opening weekend. This translated to an average of £477 per theater. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes displays a wide gap in reception between the general audience and professional critics. Audiences currently give the film a 74% score. Critics, based on 90 reviews, hold it to a 26% score. Waititi noted that he has not read reviews for nearly 15 years but listens to general audience feedback.

Peter Bradshaw, the chief critic for The Guardian, awarded the film one star. He described the movie as unbearably mannered and unspeakably acted. Bradshaw called it soft-centered sci-fi-lite that demands laughter and tears simultaneously. He had previously criticized Waititi's 2019 film Jojo Rabbit, labeling it a pointless Hitler-spoofy young adult adventure. Wendy Ide of the Observer called Klara and the Sun a thin and cloying thing. Tim Grierson of the LA Times described the film's calculated gooeyness as stultifying.

The commercial decline accelerated immediately after the opening period. In its second weekend in North America, the film dropped 79 percent. Earnings fell to $145,000 from a similar number of venues. The drop indicates a steep reduction in audience interest following the initial release.