BY PAMELA MCCLINTOCK | HollywoodReporter.Com
Troy Warren for CNT #Entertainment
The R-rated slapstick comedy easily out-grossed Roland Emmerich’s big-budget ‘Moonfall,’ which crashed to earth in its box office launch.
There was nothing gross about the opening of Jackass Forever at the box office.
The R-rated movie took in a better-than-expected $23.5 million from 3,604 theaters to mark a triumphant return to the big screen for prankster king Johnny Knoxville and his crew.
Jackass Forever, costing a mere $10 million to make, is the second box office win — and profit generator — for Paramount following January’s Scream.
Paramount Pictures, MTV Entertainment and Dick Productions decided to revive Knoxville’s slapstick, gross-out comedy franchise after a 12-year hiatus from the big screen. Jackass Forever is purportedly the last film in the franchise.
Critics loved Jackass Forever, as did younger moviegoers and especially younger males. Three-quarters of all ticket buyers were under the age of 35, while 67 percent of the audience were males. The movie currently sports an 85 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (a few days ago, it was 90 percent).
Heading into the weekend, the film had been tracking to open in the mid-teens.
Like many other franchise installments, Jackass Forever still couldn’t match the opening of the last film in the franchise, Jackass 3D, due to the ongoing pandemic. Jackass 3D debuted to $50 million.
Jackass Forever, which reunites many original crew members, stars Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Wee Man, Danger Ehren, Preston Lacy, Sean “Poopies” McInerney, Zach Holmes, Eric Manaka and Rachel Wolfson. (There are also numerous cameos.)
The Motion Picture Association’s rating board slapped Jackass Forever with an R for “strong crude material and dangerous stunts, graphic nudity and language throughout.”
Jackass Forever easily beat Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi disaster pic Moonfall, which crashed to earth in its opening.
Backed by Centropolis, the movie opened in the $10 million range in North America from 3,446 theaters after costing at least $138 million to make (that’s according to Emmerich). Lionsgate is distributing the film domestically.
Moonfall stars Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu and Donald Sutherland.
The film played notably older, with more than 50 percent of ticket buyers 35 and up. It also skewed male (60 percent). Moviegoers sent Moonfall to the back of the class with a C+ CinemaScore.
