Chris Hansen has seen A24’s Primetime, and he is not holding back. The former To Catch a Predator host watched the Robert Pattinson-led film on Thursday night, September 24, and shared his first reaction in a short video filmed outside a movie theater.
“It was so bizarre and so in and out of reality, it’s hard for me to…,” Hansen said in the clip posted to X. “Obviously, I’m not objective because the character is, you know, me, but it was so detached from reality or anything I’ve experienced then or now doing the investigations. I’m not sure what the point of it was.”
The full reaction will arrive on his podcast and YouTube channel, Have A Seat With Chris Hansen, at 7 p.m. ET on Friday. But his early take makes one thing clear: watching someone else play you on the big screen is a strange experience.
What Robert Pattinson Said About the Role
Robert Pattinson stars as Chris Hansen in the film, which looks at the rise of To Catch a Predator in 2006. The Twilight actor has been open about wanting Hansen to see the movie as a positive thing.
“Obviously, I hope he likes the movie,” Pattinson said at the Venice Film Festival press conference in September. “I never really set out to make a movie about Chris Hansen. I would hope in some ways, like, the amount of inspiration that his character has given certain people who are involved in this film for years now, I hope is some kind of compliment.”
Pattinson also praised Hansen’s on-screen presence. “The more you watch the show, there’s something magnetic about his presence,” he said. “Something he’s doing is the reason why people are still talking about that show 20 years later.”
Hansen’s Earlier Criticism of the Film
Before watching Primetime, Hansen had been very vocal about his concerns. He said he was not consulted during production and only learned about the film shortly before the first trailer dropped in May.
He also claimed A24 asked him to sign a “very restrictive agreement” that would prevent him from taking legal action against the studio. A source disputed this, telling Entertainment Weekly that Hansen was asked to sign a standard NDA required for anyone viewing an unreleased film.
Hansen described Pattinson’s performance in the trailer as “overly dramatic” but admitted his family thought it was a “pretty good imitation.” He said his wife and kids were impressed by what they saw.
Legal Action on the Table
Hansen has said he is considering legal action against A24 and the filmmakers. He told Dan Abrams on SiriusXM that a lawyer with experience in entertainment law told him he “probably has a decent case.”
“I think it’s an insult to the thousands of men and women who work hard every day to protect children from predators,” Hansen told The Hollywood Reporter. “They turn something that is very positive, very challenging and not without risk into what is essentially a horror film.”
He also called the film “a complete work of fiction attached to a real name” and questioned why the studio used his name and likeness if the story was not based on real events.
Despite his frustration with the film, Hansen has made it clear he has no personal issue with Pattinson. “I have no issue with Robert Pattinson. I think he’s a great actor and a nice guy, and he has been very gracious in his comments about me,” Hansen said. “But they put him in a difficult position.”
How the Film Is Performing
Primetime opened in theaters on September 25, 2026. The film cost just $15 million to produce and is projected to earn between $17 million and $20 million in its opening weekend, putting it in a strong position to turn a profit.
Critics have largely praised Pattinson’s performance. The film holds an 86% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 84% audience score. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a seven-minute standing ovation.
The cast includes Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher, and Bokeem Woodbine. Lance Oppenheim directed the film, with a script by Ajon Singh.
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Chris Hansen Has His Own Documentary Coming
While Primetime tells a fictionalized version of his story, Hansen is preparing to share his own. His TruBlu streaming network released a trailer for I’m Chris Hansen, a documentary about his career that has been in the works for three years. The project is separate from the A24 film and focuses on his real investigative work.
Also Read: Chris Hansen Walks Out of Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime’ Screening After Refusing to Sign NDA
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