They don't have to be likeable, but they do have to be interesting. There's one book I've trying to identify where I gave up on it about a 1/3 of the way through because all the characters were boring.

It's all like some bad movie.

Stick to Tralfamadorians and lesbian vampires.
Marlon, Claudia & Dimby the cats 1989-2010. Clio the cat, July 1997 - 1 May 2016.

I generally don't find human beings to be likeable, so I just accept this as a trope of literary realism.

I was recently reading some of the Dune books by Frank Herbert and it occurred to me that hardly any of the characters were particularly likeable, most being cold and/or bitchy toward each other. In spite of that I'd say the first book is great and the next two good.

Honestly, I don't see why anybody
would
want to read about unlikable people. Like, at all. I have occasionally had the displeasure of reading about characters, who managed to almost make me feel nauseous. And I don't see any fun in that. Yeah, I know that many stories require a villain. And yes, I know that some stories even have flawed anti-heros as protagonists. But there will be times, when I feel that it goes too far
Intelligence and purity.

definitely do NOT watch any Quentin Tarintino filmsall of his characters are despicable

You're not going to have entertaining drama with a bunch of happy lovable characters.

Don't have to be likeable, but do have to be intriguing. When they are ALL unlikable intriguing isn't easy

They don't have to be, but it helps to have someone the reader can identify with and latch onto. I remember I tried watching Sons of Anarchy but something was off. Then I realized that I didn't like any of the characters.
I think part of the reason I don't care for Catcher in the Rye is because there is one main character and he, Holden Caulfield, is mostly unlikable.
You're spending a lot of time with these characters. Do you want them to be deplorable?