A24’s crime drama “Primetime” opened to an estimated $19.2 million at the domestic box office this weekend, the studio’s third-largest debut ever, according to Deadline. The film, directed by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature debut, hit theatres on September 25.

The Robert Pattinson-starrer trails only “Backrooms” ($81.5 million) and “Civil War” ($25.5 million) among A24’s all-time openings. Made for about $15 million, its first weekend nearly covers the production budget. Thursday previews brought in $2.7 million, and exhibitors reported that 69 per cent of ticket buyers were under 30.

Pattinson plays journalist Chris Hansen, the host whose Dateline NBC show “To Catch a Predator” became a ratings phenomenon in the mid-2000s, alongside Skyler Gisondo and Merritt Wever. Strong reviews and buzz out of the Venice Film Festival powered the debut, with the film holding an 87 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hansen himself has kept his distance from the project, calling Pattinson’s performance “overly dramatic” in remarks to Entertainment Tonight. The opening caps a strong 2026 for Pattinson, who also led A24’s “The Drama” and Universal’s “The Odyssey” earlier this year.