After 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered on April 2, 1968, in Washington, D.C., co-writer Arthur C. Clarke recalled overhearing a studio executive predict, “Well, that’s the end of Stanley Kubrick.”

The reaction remained harsh at the New York premiere the following night. Kubrick felt he had failed, Clarke was reportedly reduced to tears , and star Keir Dullea estimated that roughly 250 people walked out.

Rotten Tomatoes now counts 169 critic reviews , and 91% of them are positive. More than 250,000 audience ratings give it an 88% Popcornmeter.

The site’s critics’ consensus had this take on the film:

“One of the most influential of all sci-fi films — and one of the most controversial — Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 is a delicate, poetic meditation on the ingenuity — and folly — of mankind.”

Sight and Sound’s December 2022 directors’ poll, with nearly 600 filmmakers voting , ranked it No. 1.…