Robert Pattinson is having an enormously impressive 2026, first appearing opposite Zendaya in The Drama , then The Odyssey (also with Zendaya) followed by the upcoming Dune Part 3 (yes, more Zendaya). But what may be his most significant role is in the new film, Primetime (no Zendaya). Now, its first Rotten Tomatoes critic review score is in.

These first reviews are very early, indeed. Primetime will not be released widely until September 25, but three weeks early we are already hearing what critics think, and it’s overwhelmingly positive. As it stands, the Primetime Rotten Tomatoes score is a 94% , nearly Pattinson’s career best. That ties The Odyssey and is just under his voice role in The Boy and the Heron . But as a live-action lead ? Yes, this takes it.

Primetime stars Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, the famous host of To Catch a Predator , where the program became a countrywide sensation in 2006, luring potential child predators out of chatrooms and into dummy houses talking to fake teens where they would promptly be arrested.

There’s a larger story there about the tactics used and the justifications given, and Hansen’s own role in all this. The trailer shows Pattinson doing about as perfect a Chris Hansen impression as anyone could, and doing so as a Brit, on top of that. It has already put him in likely contention for Best Actor at the Oscars this year, which would be his first nomination. Obviously, almost all of the praise for the film centers on his performance. Here are a few of the critics:

  • New York Magazine – “I’ve admired Pattinson for years, but nothing quite prepared me for his turn as Hansen... It’s a stunning demonstration of the actor’s range, and watching the film you can’t imagine any other performer of his generation pulling it off.”
  • BBC – “The key could be that Pattinson never asks us to sympathise with the character. In fact, he seems happy for us to loathe him. But it’s a pleasure to watch him, anyway. This is the best performance yet from the most intriguing actor of his generation.”

Further demonstrating his acting diversity, as Primetime is about to be released, Pattinson has been filming The Batman Part 2 , the sequel to the movie which put him in the cowl alongside just a handful of other actors in history. In interviews, he says that he’s not as young as he used to be (he’s 40, if you can believe it), and the fights and action are harder. So, we may see more Primetimes and less Batmans in the future. Though, I mean, he has to do The Batman Part 3, right?

It seems we should definitely be looking forward to Primetime , and we’ll circle back in a few weeks as more scores and accolades come in.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy .