Robert Pattinson has been a star since he first locked eyes with Kristen Stewart in “Twilight” in 2008. As Edward Cullen, a vampire blessed with Byronic good looks, Pattinson captivated audiences, becoming the heart of a growing generation of moviegoers.
But you sensed he wasn’t entirely comfortable being a pinup, and Pattinson used his new banking to build a resume full of football roles for edgy auteurs like David Cronenberg (“Cosmopolis”), Claire Denis (“High Life”), and Robert Eggers (“The Lighthouse”). Critics praised the work, but only Pattinson’s smartest bosses appeared and most of the films were more appreciated than seen.
That began to change when Pattinson re-embraced mainstream cinema; first with “Tenet” in 2020 and then with “The Batman,” in 2022, in which he played Bruce Wayne as a billionaire in dire need of counseling. And Pattinson’s star has risen to a whole new level this year, with “The Drama,” “The Odyssey,” and now “Primetime.”
“Primetime,” produced for just $15 million and starring Pattinson as Chris Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator” horror star, opened to an impressive $19.2 million. The journalistic drama was able to exceed expectations because Gen Z, which has become the most reliable movie force, turned out in droves to see a movie about a TV show that was very popular during their childhood. In fact, 69% of the opening weekend crowd was under the age of 30 and you get the sense that they’ve come of age with Pattinson, getting into it first as “Twilight’s” bloodbath and watching it over the years as they come of age as movie lovers.
This is Pattinson’s second big hit of the year for the A24. This spring, he and Zendaya launched the dark relationship comedy “The Drama” to an impressive $134.9 million worldwide. It only cost $28 million to produce, so it will be very profitable for the indie studio. There’s just something about Pattinson’s intensity and willingness to reverse his movie star image that seems to mesh perfectly with A24’s hip and transgressive brand.
And although Pattinson does not receive credit for the box office performance of “The Odyssey” (which belongs to Christopher Nolan), his success only burns his movie star image. He will get another shot at glory when “Dune: Part Three” opens in December and “The Batman: Part II” hits theaters in 2028.
For more than ten years, producers and analysts have been denying the death of the movie star. They noted that no one has replaced the drawing power of aging icons such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. That may be changing. Like his “Dune” co-star Timothée Chalamet, Pattinson has finally found a way to make challenging, thought-provoking work that can be embraced by general audiences as well as movie theaters.