Taika Waititi Blasts Critics: 'Irrelevant, Sad Lost Souls'
Taika Waititi has publicly defended his latest film, "Klara and the Sun," by contrasting its high audience score with its low critical reception and poor box office performance. The director criticized film critics as "irrelevant" while actress Jenna Ortega revealed she avoids reading reviews or box office numbers.
The film "Klara and the Sun," directed by Taika Waititi, has found itself at the center of a public discourse following its release, as poor critical reviews and bleak box office numbers prompted Waititi to issue a social media defense. The director took to Instagram to highlight the stark contrast between the film's audience reception and its critical standing, featuring the movie's poster alongside a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 78%. This figure stands in sharp opposition to its critic score of 28%, which marks Waititi's lowest-rated film to date, notably lower than even "Jojo Rabbit."
In his Instagram caption, Waititi expressed a dismissive view of film critics, stating that he has not read a review of anything directed at him or his peers in nearly 15 years, emphasizing that he chooses to "listen to the people" instead. He characterized critics as "sad lost souls who couldn’t achieve their dreams of becoming artists, and thus became critics." Waititi further described them as "irrelevant," "out of touch," "obsolete," and ultimately, "in the bin," pointing out that these were "the same people who also hated Jojo Rabbit." His comments underscore a growing tension between filmmakers and traditional critical outlets, particularly when audience and critic perceptions diverge significantly.
"Klara and the Sun" faced a challenging theatrical debut, landing at a disappointing No. 15 at the box office with only $720,000 generated from 880 locations during its opening weekend. The film's weak performance, coupled with a barrage of negative reviews, led distributor Sony to scale back its theatrical footprint. Critics largely panned the movie, with descriptions ranging from "calamitous" to a "strained, whimsical comedy that’s ruinous," contributing to its low aggregate score.
Adding another layer to the discussion, Jenna Ortega, who portrays the titular android in the film, recently shared her personal approach to film reception. In a Vogue interview, Ortega revealed that she deliberately avoids reading reviews of her projects, explaining that such a practice "would send me into a psychosis of some sort." Similarly, she abstains from checking box office updates, even when her team provides them, because she prefers that her work "don’t want it to become a numbers thing," highlighting an artist's desire to maintain focus on the creative process rather than commercial outcomes.
Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed 2021 novel, "Klara and the Sun" is set in a dystopian future. The narrative follows an obsolete companion android, played by Ortega, as she endeavors to form a bond with her new owner, a young girl named Josie, who is grappling with an illness. The film's thematic depth and literary origins offer a poignant contrast to the commercial and critical challenges it has encountered since its release.