Robert Pattinson's New A24 Thriller Primetime Rotten Tomatoes Score Gets Official Audience Verdict

Published Sep 25, 2026, 8:40 AM EDT

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

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Robert Pattinson's new thriller finally has an audience verdict.

Primetime, Pattinson's new thriller from A24, has earned an official audience score through its latest Rotten Tomatoes update. The biographical drama follows Pattinson as journalist Chris Hansen, best known for creating and hosting the Dateline NBC program To Catch A Predator. The movie dramatizes his work hosting the show, filming sting operations luring would-be child predators in front of cameras an confronting them with incriminating texts and photos. It follows both the series' popularity and examines Hansen's approach to the controversial subject matter.

Now, Primetime's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is finally up, revealing what viewers think of the movie following its Thursday night preview release. According to the platform, viewers have scored the film an 84% on the Popcornmeter based on over 100 verified ratings. This is just a bit below the movie's critical reception, which currently sits at a Certified Fresh 86% based on 125 reviews. It appears both critics and audiences are aligned about the movie's quality, denoting extremely positive reviews in the process.

Reviews for Primetime praise Pattinson's role as Hansen, expressing how the movie analyzes the famed journalist psychologically through the lens of his morally just TV series. Audiences feel the same way, with praised aimed at the lead performance coupled with an interesting cinematography that keeps it visually appealing. There's a rapt intensity to the movie as well, audiences saying the film continues to build tension as To Catch A Predator gets more and more popular, until it finally reaches its historic crescendo.

However, there are also a handful of negative reviews on both sides of the aisle. While Hansen is being praised as one of Pattinson's best roles, some note the movie is more critical of Hansen's hubris than interested in looking at the issue from a nuanced lens. To Catch A Predator was responsible for broadcasting real-life, potential child predators across the nation, leading to controversy surrounding Hansen's methods. But, according to some negative reviews, the movie sidelines this nuanced conversation in favor of critiquing its core subject.

Even so, the overwhelming majority of audience members agree the movie is a worthy addition to Pattinson's film lineup. It also does a compelling job at looking at Hansen through the lens of public ego, even if the movie sways a bit too much to one side for some. It's still visually well-made, and is clearly resonating with enough audience members for it to have earned high praise. As of writing, it remains to be seen how the movie's performance will be in its opening weekend.

With Primetime afforded a positive Rotten Tomatoes score, it appears audiences are eager about Pattinson's Hansen and the way the movie portrays To Catch A Predator. Since the movie has only just come out, it's possible the score will shift as more viewers see the film. But, for a debut, the movie has managed to achieve a lot through an audience lens, something that could lend to its long-term success in cinemas.