Primetime edges toward beating The Drama in US box office

Robert Pattinson's new A24 crime thriller has pulled in $20.9 million in four days, closing in on the $48.1 million benchmark set by his earlier hit The Drama.

Robert Pattinson’s latest A24 outing, Primetime, is tightening the race with his earlier smash, The Drama. In just four days the crime thriller has amassed $20.9 million across the United States and Canada, according to box‑office trackers. That puts the film within striking distance of the $48.1 million total The Drama logged during its run.

The opening weekend saw Primetime pull in a modest $1.7 million on Monday, a dip of roughly 63 percent from its Sunday earnings. By comparison, The Drama managed $1.9 million on its first Monday. The gap isn’t huge, but it shows the new release is holding its own against a heavyweight.

A24’s third‑biggest debut weekend for a domestic release, Primetime is also battling the Avengers: Endgame Encore re‑run, which still dominates the North American charts. Yet the crime drama’s word‑of‑mouth buzz appears solid, with audiences praising Pattinson’s turn as a hard‑nosed TV journalist chasing predators while toeing the line between public service and sensationalism.

If the current trajectory holds, the film needs just under $30 million more to overtake The Drama and claim the title of Pattinson’s biggest A24 domestic performer of 2026. Crossing that threshold would also push the movie into A24’s elite five‑film club, a group currently capped by Uncut Gems at $50 million.

Industry watchers note that A24’s catalogue rarely sees such sustained mid‑week holds. The studio’s previous record‑breaker, The Drama, combined a star‑studded pairing with Zendaya and a romantic‑comedy vibe to attract a broad audience. Primetime leans into darker territory, focusing on investigative journalism and the moral murkiness of ratings‑driven news. That tonal shift might explain the steadier, if slower, earnings pattern.

The film’s release on September 25 means it still has a full weekend ahead. Analysts expect a modest bounce on Saturday as the initial curiosity wave settles, followed by a potential dip if the Avengers encore continues to siphon crowds. Still, the modest Monday drop suggests a resilient core audience that could keep the numbers climbing.

Should Primetime breach the $50 million mark, it would rewrite Pattinson’s A24 résumé and cement the indie distributor’s foothold in the mainstream thriller space. For now, the numbers are ticking upward, and the next box‑office report will reveal whether the film can truly outshine its predecessor.

What’s next?

The next box‑office update is due early next week. If Primetime continues its steady climb, it could rewrite the A24 leaderboard before the holiday rush.

Primetime runs in theatres across North America until early November. Fans can also catch the film on streaming platforms once the theatrical window closes, as per A24’s standard release strategy.