Following the $155.5 million worldwide performance of its low-budget "Jackass 3D," Paramount and MTV have decided to move the franchise out of theaters and onto the Internet.
"Jackass 3.5" will debut digitally in March, with creator/star Johnny Knoxville, producers Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze, and the rest of the freakishly masochistic "Jackass" cast returning to do their thing on the Internet.
Paramount and MTV plan to offer a weekly dose of "Jackass" stunts, pranks and mishaps, eventually cobbling them together for a full-length movie that will debut online before getting packaged onto DVD and Blu-ray.
It's not a novel experiment: In 2007, Paramount and MTV digitally rendered "Jackass 2.5," which went on to garner 20 million and become the No. 1 download on iTunes.
"I don't want to say that the 'Jackass' guys invented the Internet, but they were doing viral videos before most people had even heard the term," said Tom Lesinski, president of Paramount Digital Entertainment. "That distinguished heritage makes 'Jackass' the perfect franchise for digital.
Here's the full Paramount press release:
PARAMOUNT DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT AND MTV TO LAUNCH
DIGITAL FEATURE, JACKASS 3.5, IN MARCH 2011
JACKASS 3.5 Follows the Worldwide Box Office Success of JACKASS 3D with All New Antics
from Johnny Knoxville and Crew to Be Released Digitally
LOS ANGELES, CA (November 30, 2010) – Paramount Digital Entertainment in association
with MTV, both part of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) announced today that it plans to
add another original project to its popular digital programming line-up: JACKASS 3.5, which
will premiere in March 2011.
The third installment of JACKASS from Paramount Pictures and MTV Films – JACKASS 3D –
hit theaters on October 15, 2010 and has already grossed over $155 million at the worldwide box
office.
The film stars Johnny Knoxville and the boys and was produced by Dickhouse
Production’s Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze, along with Knoxville. JACKASS 3.5, which was
tailor-made for launch in digital media, will feature all new content, including never-before-seen
stunts, pranks and other side-splitting antics by the JACKASS crew. New stunts and antics from
JACKASS 3.5 will be released online weekly and then packaged together as a feature length film
distributed digitally followed by other platforms including home video.
“I don’t want to say that the JACKASS guys invented the Internet, but they were doing viral
videos before most people had even heard the term. That distinguished heritage makes JACKASS
the perfect franchise for digital,” said Thomas Lesinski, President of Paramount Digital
Entertainment.
“When the JACKASS guys went to make JACKASS 3D, we proposed that we
shoot a follow up to the successful JACKASS 2.5 digital feature alongside it, and everyone was
up for it. In JACKASS 3.5, you are going to see an entire movie’s worth of new stunts, new
pranks and new gags, on whatever screen you choose.”
"For JACKASS 3D we shot enough footage for two movies so a lot of great stuff didn't make it in
the film. Luckily you will get to see those bits in 3.5. We also shot some additional footage in
Europe specifically for 3.5. I have staples in my head right now to prove it. Woo hoo," said
JACKASS co-founder and star Johnny Knoxville.
“It’s been ten years since JACKASS first launched on MTV and there is still more poo, stunts and
hilarity to go around on every screen imaginable,” said Van Toffler, President, MTVN
Music/Logo/Films Group. “Whenever the JACKASS crew gets together, you know there will be
a plethora of valuable fragments of entertainment to satiate their fans, and JACKASS 3.5 will not
disappoint as the latest installment in this fine franchise.”
In 2007, Paramount Digital Entertainment & MTV released JACKASS 2.5, the first digital movie
released by a studio that quickly became the most successful non-theatrical release in the studio’s
history. In the first few weeks of launch, the digital property garnered over 20 million views and
was the #1 title on iTunes the week it launched.
The JACKASS franchise first debuted as an original television series on MTV from 2000 to
2002, launching the careers of Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and other now-popular
personalities shown performing outrageous stunts and hysterical pranks. Since 2002, three
successful JACKASS theatrical films have been produced and released by MTV Films and
Paramount Pictures. JACKASS: THE MOVIE grossed more than $64 million in the United States
alone, and finished in the Number 1 spot at the box office in its opening weekend.
JACKASS NUMBER TWO was released in September 2006 and like its predecessor, topped the box office
in its debut weekend, and ultimately earned more than $72 million in cumulative box office
revenues.
JACKASS 3D, released this October 2010 dominated the weekend box office opening
to $50 million in ticket sales, setting several records such as becoming the biggest opening ever
for a non-scripted/documentary-esque film, the 10th highest opening comedy of all-time, notching
the record for an October midnight gross with $2.5 million, making it a special event for throngs
of moviegoers.
The JACKASS franchise also includes a JACKASS: The Game video game for the PlayStation 2,
PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS. Its numerous DVD releases include JACKASS: VOL. 1,
JACKASS: VOL. 2, JACKASS: THE MOVIE, JACKASS: VOL. 3, JACKASS: THE BOX SET,
JACKASS NUMBER TWO, JACKASS 2.5, JACKASS WORLD PRESENTS: MATT