# Jackass: The Movie
**Jackass: The Movie** (2002) is an American reality comedy film in which [Johnny Knoxville](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-knoxville) and the cast of the MTV stunt series *Jackass* perform dangerous stunts, gross-out gags, and candid-camera pranks on the big screen for the first time.[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0322802/) Directed by [Jeff Tremaine](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-tremaine) and produced by Tremaine, Spike Jonze, and Knoxville, it was released wide by [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) on October 25, 2002, and opened in first place at the box office.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jackass_the_movie) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/making-a-jackass-out-of-critics/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Wide theatrical release October 25, 2002, by Paramount Pictures; home video March 25, 2003[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jackass-The-Movie-%282002%29) |
| Director / producers | Jeff Tremaine (director); Tremaine, Spike Jonze, and Johnny Knoxville (producers and screenwriters)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jackass_the_movie) |
| Box office | Domestic $64,255,312; international $15,238,519; worldwide $79,493,831[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0322802/) |
| Opening weekend | $22,763,437, debuting in first place[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0322802/) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/making-a-jackass-out-of-critics/) |
| Budget | $2,000,000 per The Numbers; Box Office Mojo lists $5,000,000[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jackass-The-Movie-%282002%29) • [1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0322802/) |
| Rating / runtime | Rated R for dangerous, sometimes extremely crude stunts, language and nudity; 84 minutes[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322802/parentalguide/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jackass-The-Movie-%282002%29) |
| Critical scores | 49% Tomatometer from 93 reviews; 75% audience score on the Popcornmeter[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jackass_the_movie) |
## Spoilers
### Content and rating
The Motion Picture Association rated the film R for dangerous, sometimes extremely crude stunts, language and nudity.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322802/parentalguide/) Stunts described in reviews include a man snorting wasabi and vomiting it out, Steve-O attempting a tightrope walk across a pool of snapping alligators while his cohorts excitedly egg the reptiles on, a golf cart demolition derby, and Knoxville and Jonze in heavy makeup testing the public's patience as elderly men.[11](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/jackass-the-movie) • [10](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/dont-try-this-home-jackass-movie-reviewed-2003) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jackass_the_movie) The film carries the franchise's warning that its stunts were performed by professionals and should not be attempted at home.[12](https://mtiid.calarts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Emily_Popejoy_Thesis_Paper.pdf)
The American Humane Association, which monitors the treatment of animals in film, questioned the handling of animals in the sea cucumber scene filmed in Japan and gave the film a dual rating of Acceptable/Questionable.[13](https://www.americanhumane.org/production/jackass-the-movie/)
### Franchise aftermath
The film launched a theatrical franchise. It was followed by *Jackass Number Two* (2006), *Jackass 3D* (2010), and *Jackass Forever* (2022), along with straight-to-DVD companions such as *Jackass 2.5* and *Jackass 3.5* and spin-off series including *Viva La Bam* and *Wildboyz*.[16](https://mediaenviron.org/article/37274.pdf) • [17](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/2a0971d4-89fe-47d7-84e4-c93902ea3956) Jeff Tremaine, who co-created the show and directed this first film, directed every film in the franchise.[18](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/where-to-watch-jackass-movies/) The franchise's big-screen run, which began with this film, ended in 2026 with *Jackass: Best and Last*, which Knoxville confirmed would be the last movie in the series.[18](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/where-to-watch-jackass-movies/) • [19](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/comedy-movies/jackass-5-will-be-the-last-one-ending-the-prankster-comedy-series-24-year-run-on-the-big-screen/)
## From television to film
The *Jackass* television series debuted on MTV in October 2000 and became an immediate hit, featuring Knoxville and his crew in stunts such as being doused with pepper spray, sitting in a portable toilet as it was tipped over, and lying on a barbecue in a fire-resistant suit hung with steaks.[6](https://www.mrt.com/news/article/MTV-Reaches-Deal-With-Knoxville-7852950.php) The show also drew criticism, and MTV reached a deal with Knoxville in December 2001 to develop a feature film version, with Knoxville starring and release scheduled for the following year.[6](https://www.mrt.com/news/article/MTV-Reaches-Deal-With-Knoxville-7852950.php) At the same time, Knoxville's production company committed to three MTV specials rather than a new series.[7](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2001/1219/395573-jackass/)
The film carried over the show's format: a series of short skits in which Knoxville and his crew performed daredevil stunts, gross-out shenanigans, painful endurance tests, and candid-camera style pranks.[8](https://repository.essex.ac.uk/15925/1/Manifestos_for_the_Business_School_of_To.pdf) The cast included Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Dave England, Jason "Wee Man" Acuña, [Ryan Dunn](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-dunn), Ehren McGhehey, and [Preston Lacy](https://www.edgepedia.org/preston-lacy).[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322802/criticreviews/) According to a [British Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-film-institute) review, what resulted was basically the TV series stretched to 90 minutes: a hit-or-miss assortment of brief sketches captured largely on handheld DV cameras, preceded by a surreal filmed prologue showing an oversized shopping trolley stamped with the imprint of producer Spike Jonze.[10](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/dont-try-this-home-jackass-movie-reviewed-2003)
## Box office and reception
**Commercial performance.** The film opened on October 25, 2002, in 2,509 theaters and earned $22,763,437 on its opening weekend, 35.4 percent of its eventual domestic total, and debuted in first place at the box office.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jackass-The-Movie-%282002%29) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/making-a-jackass-out-of-critics/) It finished with $64,255,312 domestically and $15,238,519 internationally for a worldwide total of $79,493,831, against a production budget reported at $2 million by The Numbers and $5 million by [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo).[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0322802/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jackass-The-Movie-%282002%29) Domestic sales accounted for about 81 percent of the total gross.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jackass-The-Movie-%282002%29) The Guardian noted that critics erred toward disgust, with *The New York Times* comparing it to "a documentary version of Fight Club, shorn of social insight, intellectual pretension and cinematic interest," while audiences turned out in droves.[14](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/oct/01/jackass-at-20-disgusting-childish-dangerous-and-heartwarming)
**Critical scores.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 49% Tomatometer from 93 reviews and a 75% audience score from more than 250,000 ratings; the site's critics consensus says viewers are likely to laugh at one stunt and be grossed out by the next.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jackass_the_movie) Reviewers split on the film's structure: Kimberly Jones of the *Austin Chronicle* gave it three stars and called it "no plot, no script, just wall-to-wall idiocy," while Ethan Alter of *Film Journal International* wrote that "there's no movie to review here, just a series of blackout scenes you're either going to find supremely funny or incredibly idiotic."[15](https://cdn.awkshare.com/1ac2e0da-a02b-4608-9bca-e87de3a88dec.pdf)
## References
1. [Jackass: The Movie (2002), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0322802/)
2. [Jackass: The Movie, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jackass_the_movie)
3. [Making A 'Jackass' Out Of Critics, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/making-a-jackass-out-of-critics/)
4. [Jackass: The Movie (2002) - Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jackass-The-Movie-%282002%29)
5. [Jackass: The Movie - Parents guide, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322802/parentalguide/)
6. [MTV Reaches Deal With Knoxville, AP via MRT](https://www.mrt.com/news/article/MTV-Reaches-Deal-With-Knoxville-7852950.php)
7. ['Jackass' to get movie treatment, RTÉ Entertainment](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2001/1219/395573-jackass/)
8. [Rhodes, Rhodes and Rhodes, Manifestos for the Business School of Tomorrow, University of Essex repository](https://repository.essex.ac.uk/15925/1/Manifestos_for_the_Business_School_of_To.pdf)
9. [Jackass: The Movie (2002) - Metacritic reviews, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322802/criticreviews/)
10. [Don't try this at home: Jackass: The Movie reviewed in 2003, Sight and Sound, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/dont-try-this-home-jackass-movie-reviewed-2003)
11. [Jackass: The Movie - Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/jackass-the-movie)
12. [Emily Popejoy thesis paper, CalArts MTLID](https://mtiid.calarts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Emily_Popejoy_Thesis_Paper.pdf)
13. [Jackass: The Movie, American Humane](https://www.americanhumane.org/production/jackass-the-movie/)
14. [Jackass at 20: disgusting, childish, dangerous and ... heartwarming?, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/oct/01/jackass-at-20-disgusting-childish-dangerous-and-heartwarming)
15. [Critical reviews compilation (Austin Chronicle, Film Journal International)](https://cdn.awkshare.com/1ac2e0da-a02b-4608-9bca-e87de3a88dec.pdf)
16. [Ambivalent Anality: Revisiting the Queer Ecologic of "the Jackass Moment", MediaEnviron](https://mediaenviron.org/article/37274.pdf)
17. [Paramount Digital Entertainment and MTV to Launch Digital Feature, JACKASS 3.5, Paramount IR](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/2a0971d4-89fe-47d7-84e4-c93902ea3956)
18. [Where To Watch The Jackass Movies, Paramount+](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/where-to-watch-jackass-movies/)
19. [Jackass 5 will be "the last one", GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/comedy-movies/jackass-5-will-be-the-last-one-ending-the-prankster-comedy-series-24-year-run-on-the-big-screen/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Television-, game-, and toy-derived film entries › Television series adaptations*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license