Jenna Ortega’s Sci-Fi Movie Bomb Vanishes From Box Office Radar After 2 Weeks

Published Nov 9, 2026, 9:59 AM EST Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. Klara and the Sun has been enshrouded by darkness. The new sci-fi movie, which was directed and co-written by Taika Waititi, is an adaptation of the Kazuo Ishiguro novel of the same name that follows Klara (Jenna Ortega), an out-of-date Artificial Friend who is purchased by a rural family and tries to improve their lives. After debuting on October 23 with an underwhelming domestic gross of $701,059, 2026's Klara and the Sun dropped 77.5% during its sophomore weekend (in which Sony had already stopped reporting its box office numbers, as it was not a Top 10 contender), which marked the 85th worst sophomore drop in history. While Klara and the Sun is still playing in a number of theaters nationwide (there is at least one showtime listed this week at the AMC Orange 30 in Southern California), Fandango shows no showtimes in or around many major domestic markets, including New York City, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Newark, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Kansas City, and Cleveland. However, it is unknown exactly how many theaters are playing the movie or how much it has made at the box office this weekend. Klara and the Sun's week 3 numbers have not appeared on the domestic weekend charts on either The Numbers or Box Office Mojo. This is likely because its numbers are low enough that they are negligible. Movies playing in very few theaters, either in limited release or toward the tail end of their theatrical run, do not always have their box office reported, either by distributors or rivals. This was the case earlier this year with the Connor Storrie sci-fi movie April X, which had a small specialty release this October but has a blank listing on both sources. If the Taika Waititi movie had a similar drop this weekend as it had last weekend, it would have earned roughly $35,000 at the domestic box office, landing it at No. 32 on the chart for the weekend. However, given the fact that it is absent from many markets, it likely earned less than that. There are 34 movies on the domestic chart for the weekend of November 6. If Klara and the Sun's week 3 grosses are truly negligible, then the movie's final global gross has likely settled around the number it hit by the end of Thursday, November 5, which was $2.643 million. This cements the movie's status as a theatrical bomb. While it had a relatively slim reported budget of $20 million, the movie most likely needs to have earned roughly $50 million in order to break even in theaters, which is a total it got nowhere near earning in theaters. The Jenna Ortega movie does have plenty of aftermarket opportunities to increase its overall revenue on video on demand, streaming, and potentially physical media. However, it is unclear if it has the momentum to become a proper cult hit. While users have given it a solid 74% score on the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter, critics' Klara and the Sun reviews have given it a dismal 26% on the Tomatometer, which could be one reason many have stayed away from the movie in theaters. Enjoy ScreenRant's box office coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly box office newsletter (make sure to check "Box Office" in your preferences) and get exclusive analysis, predictions, and more: Sign Up Release Date October 23, 2026 Runtime 116 minutes Director Taika Waititi Writers Dahvi Waller, Taika Waititi Producers David Heyman, Garrett Basch, Taika Waititi An "Artificial Friend" named Klara discovers a profound connection with a troubled young girl. Release Window 2025 Main Genre Sci-Fi Executive Producer(s) Alex G. Scott, Gary Barber, Jeffrey Clifford, Kazuo Ishiguro, Rosie Alison