Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime’ Just Hit a Rotten Tomatoes Milestone That Could Signal a Massive A24 Opening

Robert Pattinson has quietly turned 2026 into one of the busiest and most acclaimed stretches of his career. Between headlining ‘The Drama’ alongside Zendaya, appearing in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ and gearing up for ‘Dune: Part Three,’ the former teen heartthrob has spent the year proving he’s become one of Hollywood’s most reliable draws for both box office and critical buzz.

His latest swing comes courtesy of A24’s ‘Primetime,’ a true-crime drama from documentarian Lance Oppenheim that reimagines the origins of ‘To Catch a Predator’ host Chris Hansen. Pattinson plays Hansen during the show’s mid-2000s rise, and the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a reported nine-minute standing ovation, immediately positioning it as one of the fall’s most talked-about releases.

That festival buzz has now translated into a stunning Rotten Tomatoes result. ‘Primetime’ is currently being recommended by 93% of critics on the platform following a correction to its score, and the film is tracking for a domestic opening weekend between $15,000,000 and $22,000,000, a range that could put it among A24’s three best opening weekends of all time.

The film’s critical reception has been climbing since its Venice debut, where it opened in the low 90s before quickly rising into the mid-90s as more reviews rolled in. Critics have singled out Pattinson’s performance as one of the most transformative of his career, praising the way he channels Hansen’s blend of self-righteousness and showmanship into something simultaneously unsettling and magnetic.

Supporting performances from Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers, who makes her acting debut in the film, have also drawn strong notices. Reviewers have described Oppenheim’s directing debut as a stylized, satirical examination of media sensationalism, marking a confident jump from documentary filmmaking into narrative feature work.

If ‘Primetime’ lands anywhere near the top of its projected range, it would represent a significant milestone for the specialty studio. A24’s history of opening weekends has typically been modest by wide-release standards, with ‘Hereditary’ long sitting among the studio’s top performers at $13,600,000 in its debut weekend.

The studio’s ceiling has risen dramatically in recent years, however. ‘Civil War’ became A24’s first number one box office finish with a $25,700,000 opening, while ‘Backrooms’ shattered that record entirely earlier this year with an $81,400,000 domestic debut. A result in the $15,000,000 to $22,000,000 range for ‘Primetime’ would slot the film comfortably into that upper tier of A24 releases without necessarily challenging the very top of the list.

‘Primetime’ hasn’t been without friction ahead of its release. Chris Hansen himself has publicly stated that A24 turned him away from a private screening after he declined to sign paperwork he alleged would have stripped away his name, image, and potential legal rights tied to the film.

In response, Hansen has reportedly purchased advertisements to run ahead of ‘Primetime’ screenings once it opens theatrically, directing audiences toward his own streaming service. The dust-up has only added to the film’s pre-release conversation, giving it an extra layer of real-world drama to match its true-crime subject matter.

With reviews trending toward a near-perfect consensus and box office tracking suggesting one of the biggest openings in the studio’s history, ‘Primetime’ looks positioned to be a defining fall release for both Pattinson and A24 alike. The film hits theaters nationwide on September 25, giving audiences their first chance to judge whether the hype matches the finished product.

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