Waititi's comments, initially reported by Deadline, came as 'Klara and the Sun' navigated its early release. He highlighted the significant disparity between the film's critical reception and its audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. While the movie garnered a low 26% from critics, its audience score initially stood at 78% (now at 73%), a gap Waititi seized upon to discredit his detractors.

In a pointed post, Waititi stated he hadn't read a review of his work in nearly 15 years, preferring to "listen to the people." He then unleashed a scathing critique of film critics, labeling them as "sad lost souls who couldn’t achieve their dreams of becoming artists, and thus became critics." He further dismissed their opinions with a blunt assessment: "Irrelevant. Out of touch. Obsolete. In the bin."

This isn't the first time Waititi has faced a mixed critical response; he also noted that "The same people who also hated Jojo Rabbit," his 2019 satirical black comedy which, despite winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, also saw some divisive reviews.

'Klara and the Sun', an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's 2021 dystopian novel, stars Jenna Ortega as the titular android, an "Artificial Friend" purchased for a gravely ill teenager, Josie (Mia Tharia). The film's narrative explores themes of love, loss, and artificial intelligence within a poignant family drama.

Despite Waititi's defense, the film's box office performance has been modest. With a reported budget of $20 million, 'Klara and the Sun' opened to just $701,000 domestically. Following negative reviews from its showing at BFI, Sony Pictures notably reduced the film's wide release from an initial broader plan to just 880 theaters in the US. This commercial struggle adds another layer to the conversation surrounding critical versus audience reception, and the tangible impact reviews can have on a film's theatrical run.