Chris Hansen is at it again, and this time he’s going pretty far in his meddling with “Primetime.”
Moviegoers heading out to see the Robert Pattinson-starring A24 movie, based on Hansen, the “To Catch a Predator” host, will apparently be greeted by Hansen himself. He’s bought preshow advertising in front of every theatrical screening of “Primetime,” using the spot to promote TruBlu, his streaming service focused on predator investigations.
And naturally, Hansen filmed the ad in a kitchen.
“I’m going to need everyone in the theater to take a seat right over there,” he tells the audience, before directing them to TruBlu with a QR code.
What’s even more amusing about this is that Hansen isn’t exactly a fan of the movie getting made. A few weeks ago, he claimed he had been invited by A24 to see “Primetime,” only to be asked at the entrance to sign an agreement that would prevent him from taking legal action against the movie. A24 has denied that ever happened.
Hansen apparently also wanted to slam the movie in the commercial. Sources tell THR he planned to describe “Primetime”—the movie audiences were about to see—as a “Hollywood fantasy version” of what actually happened. That line was cut, reportedly over concerns about A24 pushing back.
So, with Pattinson playing Hansen on the big screen, the trailer already ranking as A24’s second-most-viewed ever, and the real Hansen finding a way to get in front of the film—and pitch audiences on his own streaming business—could “Primetime” be shaping up to be a real movie event? YouTube views obviously don’t guarantee a big box office, and Hansen isn’t exactly a household name, but there’s something about this one. It seems to have genuine buzz.
“Primetime,” set to hit theaters on September 25, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month and stars Pattinson as Hansen. The ensemble also includes Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers. Venice was supposed to be the only festival where it would screen, as Pattinson is currently in the middle of shooting “The Batman: Part Two,” but I’m hearing rumblings that the film has just been added to another major festival, soon to be announced.
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