Taika Waititi isn’t one to let critical consensus pass without a retort. Following the theatrical debut of his latest directorial effort, Klara and the Sun, the Oscar-winning filmmaker took to social media to directly address the stark divide between professional reviews and initial audience reception.
Sharing the film’s official poster on Instagram, Waititi highlighted the striking divergence on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes: an encouraging 78 percent audience approval score set against a harsh 28 percent rating from film critics.
In his accompanying caption, the director did not hold back his frustration regarding the critical reception:
“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,” Waititi wrote. “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.”
Adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed 2021 novel, Klara and the Sun explores a near-future landscape where an artificial friend—an obsolete companion android played by Jenna Ortega—attempts to bond with and care for her new owner, Josie, a young girl navigating a severe illness. The feature also stars Oscar nominee Amy Adams.
The film’s box-office arrival has been modest, pulling in an estimated $725,000 across 880 North American screens in its opening weekend, placing it outside the weekend’s top 10 releases, with global grosses currently hovering around $1.7 million.
Beyond the immediate critical friction, Waititi offered a broader perspective on the film’s central thematic core—artificial intelligence—while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at the film’s New York premiere:
“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,” he shared.
