In a move that underscores the film's troubled run, Sony has officially scrapped the Spanish theatrical rollout of Klara and the Sun, the sci-fi drama starring Jenna Ortega. The decision comes on the heels of a disastrous domestic opening and a wave of scathing reviews that have left the adaptation struggling to find an audience.
According to Spanish outlet Hobby Consolas, the studio has shelved the film's release in Spain for the foreseeable future. The movie, which opened in just 880 North American theaters on October 23, managed to pull in a meager $701,059 during its first weekend—an average of roughly $797 per screen. Those numbers were so weak that Sony had already scaled back its planned expansion from an initial 1,900 theaters, and now the international rollout is being curtailed as well.
Directed by Taika Waititi, best known for Thor: Ragnarok, the film adapts Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed 2021 novel of the same name. The cast is stacked with recognizable talent, including Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, Natasha Lyonne, and Mia Tharia, but the star power hasn't been enough to overcome the film's critical and commercial misfortunes.
The movie currently holds a dismal 25% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 73 reviews. Critics have largely panned the film for its overly sentimental tone and its failure to capture the emotional depth of Ishiguro's source material. Major outlets like The Guardian, The Times, and The Telegraph all awarded it just one star, a rare level of consensus for a film with such pedigree.
Financially, Klara and the Sun has earned approximately $1.44 million worldwide, including around $776,000 from the domestic market, according to Box Office Mojo. Those figures are a far cry from what Sony likely hoped for when they greenlit the project, especially given the involvement of an Oscar-winning director and a Nobel Prize-winning author.
This latest setback adds to a production that had already faced significant delays before ever reaching theaters. The film remains available in select territories, including the United States, but no replacement date for Spain has been announced, and there's no confirmed streaming debut on the horizon.
For fans of Ortega, who has been riding high on the success of Wednesday and the Scream franchise, this is a rare misfire. The actress has proven her box office appeal in other projects, but Klara and the Sun seems to be a case where the pieces just didn't come together. As we've seen with other recent box office disappointments, even the most promising concepts can stumble.
The film's struggles also highlight a broader trend in Hollywood, where streaming has become a safety net for underperforming theatrical releases. While Klara and the Sun hasn't yet announced a streaming date, it wouldn't be surprising to see it follow the path of other films that found a second life on platforms like HBO Max, as seen with Anne Hathaway's Mother Mary.
For now, the future of Klara and the Sun remains uncertain. The film's international cancellation is a clear signal that Sony is cutting its losses, but whether it will find a new audience on streaming or in other territories is still up in the air. One thing is certain: this is a release that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
