Taika Waititi blames critics for the abysmal flop of his latest film

Oscar-winning director of Jojo Rabbit calls critics ‘insignificant’ people and ‘sad lost souls’…

Taika Waititi clearly didn’t appreciate the criticism on Klara and the Sun.

While his latest film is off to a particularly difficult start at the box office, the director posted a message on Instagram, highlighting the film’s poster and its very positive score of 78% among audiences on Rotten Tomatoes (76% today). A figure which contrasts sharply with the very small 26% taken from press reviews, the worst result in his filmography on the site.

Between the lines, we understand that the New Zealand filmmaker blames the critics for the very poor results of his feature film. And he writes:

“I haven’t read a single review of one of my films, or one of my peers, in almost fifteen years. But I listen to the public… So, during this Halloween season, let’s spare a thought for those poor lost souls who failed to realize their dream of becoming artists and who therefore became critics. The same people who hated Jojo Rabbit. Off topic. Disconnected. Obsolete. Throw in the trash…“

A burst of anger which intervenes while Klara and the Sun is experiencing an extremely rare commercial disaster.

In the United States, the film only collected $720,000 for its opening weekend, despite being released in 880 theaters. It thus found itself in fifteenth place at the box office. Sony has since scaled back its theatrical presence, after particularly harsh reviews, with some calling the film a failed and labored fantasy comedy. Worldwide revenues are currently less than $2 million, for a budget estimated between 20 and 40 million depending on sources.

In France, the start-up is just as confidential. Released October 21, Klara and the Sun only benefited from 35 copies throughout the country. Result: barely 3,000 entries during its first week of operation. The film therefore went largely unnoticed in French cinemas, outside of a few large cities and specialized circuits.

Adapted from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, published in 2021, the feature film takes place in a dystopian future. Jenna Ortega plays Klara, a pet android who has become obsolete, who tries to form a bond with her new owner, Josie, a seriously ill young girl. The Wednesday star shares the bill with an enticing cast including Amy Adams and Simon Baker, as well as Natasha Lyonne and Steve Buscemi.