Chris Hansen Buys Preshow Ads Before Every Screening of A24's 'Primetime' — and Refuses to See the Film
Chris Hansen, the former host of NBC's To Catch a Predator, has purchased preshow advertising to run before every screening of Primetime, the forthcoming A24 film about his televised sting operations. The ad, shared exclusively with The Hollywood Reporter, directs cinema audiences to TruBlu, Hansen's streaming network devoted to predator investigations. Primetime opens in theatres on 25 September. (The Hollywood Reporter)
In the spot, Hansen delivers a variation on his famous catchphrase from a kitchen set — the recognisable staging of the original Dateline segments. A QR code on screen sends moviegoers to a TruBlu landing page. Hansen reportedly wanted to close the commercial by telling audiences the film was "a Hollywood fantasy version" of what happened, but that line was removed over concerns about possible blowback from A24. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Hansen has not seen the film — and not for lack of trying. He says he went to A24 to watch Primetime but left without seeing it after refusing to sign an agreement that would have barred him from taking legal action against the studio. A 20 August report in Variety confirmed Hansen's account of the screening invitation and the non-disclosure requirement. (Variety)
The most recent reporting, published 26 August, adds that Hansen declined the invitation specifically because the agreement barred legal action. Sources close to Hansen say he is consulting attorneys about his options following the film's release. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Primetime is directed by Lance Oppenheim and is based on Luke Dittrich's 2007 Esquire article "Tonight on Dateline, This Man Will Die." A24 bills the film as "inspired by true events" and describes its premise in a single line on the studio's website: "Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history." The Esquire piece examines the suicide of Bill Conradt, a Texas district attorney targeted in one of Hansen's sting operations. (The Hollywood Reporter; A24)
The film had its world premiere on 5 September at the Venice International Film Festival, ahead of its commercial release three weeks later. (The Hollywood Reporter)
What makes the ad buy unusual is the collision it sets up: a subject of a film using the film's own theatrical run to promote his competing platform and challenge the film's version of events — all without having watched it. Hansen's removed closing line, the attorney consultations, and the TruBlu QR code sitting in front of every Primetime audience add up to a real-time dispute playing out in the preshow reel. Whether that dispute moves from the cinema lobby to a courtroom will depend on what Hansen and his lawyers decide after the film opens.
