Jenna Ortega's New Sci-Fi Film Officially Dropped From 1,000 Theaters

Taiki Waititi was once considered one of the new filmmaking Kings of Hollywood following a hit Marvel movie, an Oscar-winning World War II film, and an upcoming Star Wars flick (although that project has reportedly been put on hold). How the mighty can fall, it seems. His latest movie is finding itself in a rather awkward position before audiences have even had the chance to see it. Despite bringing together Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, and a book that is adored worldwide, his newest movie has been met with critical revulsion, and it looks like it’s going to be one of the biggest box office flops of the year.

Klara and the Sun has officially opened in just 880 theaters across North America today, which is a massive drop from the 1,900 locations initially projected by The Numbers earlier this month. It’s a second blow for the film as it comes alongside a difficult critical reception, with the movie currently holding just 24% on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on the bestselling novel from Nobel Prize-winner Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun introduces audiences to Klara, an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home.

When Klara meets Josie, each immediately senses a kindred spirit in the other. Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother, and they’ve suffered great loss, but Klara’s innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family and bring light to Josie’s complicated world. The cast is led by Ortega (Wednesday) as Klara, alongside Mia Tharia (Phoenix Rise) as Josie, Adams (Arrival) as Josie’s mother, Aran Murphy (Lola) as Rick and Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire).

Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.

You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.

• You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
• You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
• You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
• The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.

The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.

• You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
• You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
• You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
• In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.

You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.

• You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
• In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
• You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
• In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.

Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.

• Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
• You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
• Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
• In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.

The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

• You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
• You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
• You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
• In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.

‘Klara and the Sun’ Has Struggled With Critics

The movie’s early reception has been particularly disappointing given the talent involved, with Waititi returning to the kind of emotional storytelling that earned him an Academy Award for Jojo Rabbit. It’s just that he seems to be too prone at this point to return to the quirky style of filmmaking that worked in such small doses before, but on a grander scale. And with a story as emotional as this one, there’s just a total tonal shift.

The limited release puts it in big trouble as it pertains to the box office projections for the movie, too. The Numbers originally anticipated approximately 1,900 theaters for Klara and the Sun, but the confirmed figure of 880 means the film will have considerably fewer opportunities to attract ticket buyers during its opening weekend.

Klara and the Sun