Just a few years ago, Taika Waititi ranked among Hollywood’s most in-demand directors. He revitalized Marvel’s Thor series with the wildly inventive “Thor: Ragnarok,” a film that reshaped the character and left a lasting mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also earned an Academy Award for “Jojo Rabbit.” Now, however, Waititi’s star power appears to have dimmed. His latest offbeat science-fiction drama, “Klara and the Sun,” has struggled to attract moviegoers and is on track to become one of 2026’s biggest box-office disappointments. So how did the filmmaker’s momentum disappear? Watch Looper’s video above for the complete breakdown.
The film’s troubles began with its critical reception. “Klara and the Sun” currently holds a dismal 24% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Its 74% audience score is considerably stronger, though general viewers tend to be more generous toward films of this kind. The response suggests that Waititi’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel missed the mark.
Ishiguro’s book is a subdued and often heartbreaking meditation on artificial intelligence, humanity and the bond between an AI companion and the young girl who becomes her closest friend. Waititi’s version takes the material in a more playful direction, adding broader humor and several eccentric departures. For readers who cherished the novel, the trailers may have signaled that the movie was offering something fundamentally different. Many likely chose to skip it after recognizing that the qualities they valued most in the book would not be central to the film.
Taika Waititi blames critics as “Klara and the Sun” struggles at the box office
“Klara and the Sun” got the short end of the stick before it even came out in theaters. Sony originally planned the film to release in 1,900 theaters in the United States but slashed that to 880 days before it came out. That’ll naturally affect any film’s box office performance. Worse, Following a disastrous showing, Sony went so far as to cancel the film’s international release. Not only was the film designated as bad, but the studio gave up on it before it could find an audience.
But maybe finding an audience was always a fool’s dream. After all, “Klara and the Sun” came out on October 23 in the midst of a ton of other options for moviegoers to check out, including DC’s “Clayface,” the video game adaptation “Street Fighter,” and the surprise hit documentary “You Can See Everything.”
Ultimately, Taika Waititi is blaming critics for his film’s poor showing. The filmmaker took to Instagram to write, “This Halloween, let’s spare a thought for those sad lost souls who couldn’t achieve their dreams of becoming artists, and thus settled, and became critics. The same people who also hated Jojo Rabbit.” It’s an odd statement, especially considering how “Jojo Rabbit” was generally well-received by reviewers.
“Klara and the Sun” didn’t resonate with audiences, who had plenty of other options to choose from. Hopefully, Waititi’s next film performs better, and in the meantime, for those of you who watched and enjoyed “Klara and the Sun,” there are other movies like it to tide you over. For more details surrounding the breakdown of “Klara” in theaters, watch Looper’s video above.
