Taika Waititi’s ‘Klara and the Sun’ Is Fading From Theaters, and Sony Has Reportedly Stopped Counting

Every director has a stretch where the magic seems to wear off, and for Taika Waititi that stretch now looks like a full-blown cold streak. The Oscar winner built his name on quirky crowd-pleasers, so a literary sci-fi adaptation starring Jenna Ortega felt like a smart swing. ‘Klara and the Sun‘ is based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel, with a cast that also includes Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne.

The path to theaters was bumpy long before opening day. The film wrapped production about 2 years ago and sat unreleased while Sony reportedly struggled to figure out how to distribute it. Then came a London Film Festival premiere on October 15, where the Telegraph, the Guardian and the Times all handed it 1-star reviews.

By the time ‘Klara and the Sun’ reached its third weekend, the situation had gone from rough to grim. The film has grossed just $1.2M domestically, and Sony has reportedly stopped reporting its box office numbers after it averaged a mere $17 per theater this week. For a studio release with a recognizable star and a prestige source novel, that kind of silence says plenty.

The trouble began before a single ticket was sold. Sony originally planned to open the film in 1,900 North American theaters, then slashed that to 880 only days before release. A smaller footprint gave the movie little chance of building momentum.

It opened on October 23 to $701,059, a per-theater average of $797, according to The Numbers. Variety’s pre-weekend projection had been a modest $2M, so even the lowered expectations went unmet. ‘Clayface’ took the top spot that weekend with a $24M domestic debut.

The second weekend was far worse. Ticket sales fell 78% to $157,555, bringing the domestic total to $1,180,095 after 2 frames. That is how the film ended up around the $1.2M mark heading into its third weekend.

Reviews did not help. The film holds a score of roughly 26% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, though not every outlet was unkind. Moviefone gave it 70 out of 100, saying the tone never finds a happy balance but praising some of the performances.

Waititi himself did not take the pummeling quietly. He posted an Instagram graphic of the film’s poster alongside its Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 78%, and he dismissed the critics as irrelevant and out of touch. He also said he had not read a review in years, though he does listen to the people.

That reaction drew plenty of attention, and some commentators pointed out that it suggested he does care about the reception. Whether the audience score reflects a broader fan base is hard to say, since the box office numbers tell a different story. The film’s tone, a quirky comedic touch applied to a melancholy novel, has been a recurring point of debate.

The domestic numbers are not the only problem. Following the dismal first week, Sony restricted the international rollout, and the Spanish release, set for October 30, was reportedly scrapped. Italy, however, received the film on October 22, and other European territories kept their planned dates.

In Australia, ‘Klara and the Sun’ opened at No. 13 with $257,000. The worldwide total stood at roughly $1.7M after 2 weekends, against a reported budget of $20M. Some reports put the budget higher, but even the lowest figure leaves a wide gap.

First trailer for Taika Waititi’s ‘KLARA AND THE SUN’, starring Jenna Ortega & Amy Adams. The film follows a robot who bought by a family to help them heal physically & mentally in a dystopian future. In theaters on October 23. https://t.co/5DJrU9NFUF

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 22, 2026

The film follows ‘Next Goal Wins’, which flopped in 2023 on a much smaller budget. Two disappointments in a row make it fair to ask where Waititi goes next. His earlier successes, including ‘Jojo Rabbit’ and ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, show what he can do when audiences connect with his voice.

For Ortega, the film was meant to show a new side beyond her horror and ‘Wednesday’ fame. The performance may yet find an audience once the film reaches streaming or home video, though no release date has been announced for either. For now, the movie remains in a handful of theaters and on a path toward a quiet exit.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!