Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime’ Targets $17–20 Million Opening Weekend: Could Cover Its Budget in the First Three Days

A24’s new drama, “Primetime,” directed by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative-film debut and starring Robert Pattinson as television journalist Chris Hansen, opens today, September 25, 2026, in North American cinemas. According to the latest box-office report published by Variety, the film is expected to gross $17 to $20 million in its opening weekend — an opening that would place it third in the standings, neck and neck with the expected debut of Brad Pitt’s “Heart of the Beast.”

The figures become even more impressive when set against the production cost: with a budget of only around $15 million, the opening weekend could cover the entire production cost and even leave an extra $2–5 million — a launch that many major studios would dream of.

Competition for the weekend is by no means light: “Resident Evil” enters its second week in theaters, while today also sees the return to cinemas of “Avengers: Endgame Encore,” alongside DreamWorks’ “Forgotten Island.” Nevertheless, expectations for “Primetime” remain strong, fueled also by the warm reception from critics.

Reviews are highly positive, at around 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. New York Magazine’s Bilge Ebiri calls Pattinson’s performance “an astonishing demonstration of the actor’s range,” while Variety’s Jessica Kiang writes that the extraordinary performances make the film “something you can’t stop watching.”

The film fictionalizes the story of Chris Hansen and Dateline NBC’s controversial show “To Catch a Predator”; its world premiere was held at the Venice Festival. Hansen himself told The Hollywood Reporter that the film is “darker and much more dramatic” than reality.

Source: Variety