Jeremy Renner has brushed off scathing reviews of his new action film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, insisting "this was never going to be a movie for the critics."

The film, an adaptation of the famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale which also stars British actress Gemma Arterton, debuted at the top of the box office this weekend with takings of $19 million, but received a rotten reception from reviewers.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine called the film "lame-brained," "vomit-inducing" and "the longest 90 minutes you ever spend in a theatre" while Richard Corliss of Time magazine suggests Renner "lacks the crackle of genuine star quality" and Arterton "had her 15 mins.  Of movie fame three years ago... before retiring to the Julia Ormond Home for English Actresses Briefly Mistaken for Hollywood Hotties."

However, Renner has shrugged off the negative comments about the film and insisted the movie is not meant to be taken seriously, telling the Sydney Daily Telegraph, "We knew this was never going to be a movie for the critics. I'm just hoping that people go along and can have some fun with it."

"It's pure escapism."