This Is The Correct Order In Which To Watch The Jackass Movies
The "Jackass" franchise just got a little bit longer with the release of 2022's "Jackass Forever." This makes the franchise now over two decades long with the original "Jackass" show first airing on MTV back in 2000. The show came to a close in 2002 but was swiftly followed by a hilarious series of films.
Johnny Knoxville and the gang have been returning to the silver screen for several years now, always coming back with new and over-the-top stunts to shock audiences. They have even branched out from the usual "Jackass" formula by introducing "Bad Grandpa." While the film was still full of public stunts and pranks, it introduced a new format with Knoxville playing an elderly man who is taking his grandson on a road trip across the country.
So, with the recent release of "Jackass Forever," fans may be wanting to revisit the franchise's past, or newcomers may be wondering where to begin. There is technically no storyline that has to be followed chronologically in the films, however, it is a good idea to watch the films in the order they were released to see the full evolution. Here is the correct order to watch the "Jackass" movies.
Jackass: The Movie
Of course, you have to start where it all began. Technically, the place to begin is the original MTV series, but, if we're talking films, this is where to start. After the end of the MTV series in 2002, the "Jackass" gang got together and released "Jackass: The Movie" that same year. The film turned out to be a huge hit with the domestic box office bringing in roughly $64 million (per Box Office Mojo.) That's impressive on its own but becomes even more impressive once you learn that the budget spent on the film was only $5 million. Talk about a big paycheck.
The first installment to the film franchise features all nine members of the original cast including Knoxville, Steve-O, and Chris Pontius. As expected, they all find themselves performing in outrageous stunts and public pranks such as walking the streets of Japan dressed as pandas or Knoxville getting thrown out of a liquor store while claiming Lon Chaney is his lover.
Jackass Number Two
Naturally, the next film in the viewing lineup is the sequel "Jackass: Number Two." The sequel was released in 2006 and, while it was successful, this one, unfortunately, did face a bit of behind-the-scenes controversy. Vincent Margera, who appeared in the original cut of the film, was convicted of assault (per The Washington Post.) So, his scene in the film was ultimately cut due to this development, the Lost Media Wiki describes his scene as a tooth-pulling stunt after a small clip of it had been seen when the trailer was released.
"Jackass: Number Two" had a bigger budget than its predecessor at just over $11 million (per Box Office Mojo.) The box office profits were also bigger, with the film domestically bringing in around $72 million. The whole crew returns once again for this sequel and the stakes were raised with this one having stunts so insane that an unrated version was released on DVD that featured previously censored stunts to their full extent (per IMDB).
Jackass 3D
The next film in the lineup is "Jackass 3D" which took on a new and exciting addition of, you guessed it, 3D. You would think at this point that maybe the stunts would be getting old or that they would be running out of ideas, but the 3D visuals and hilarity was able to make this sequel just as entertaining as the first two. Rotten Tomatoes points out a similar sentiment in its general consensus of the film saying, "The Jackass gang might be running out of gross-out stunts, but this installment contains plenty of brilliantly brain-dead comedy — and the 3-D adds a pungent new dimension."
"Jackass 3D" saw Knoxville and familiar faces return once again for a plethora of outrageous stunts and pranks with yet another unrated version released on DVD and Bluray. This film also included an interesting opening and closure in which, in the beginning, Knoxville and the cast were dressed color-coordinated with a rainbow wall behind them being attacked by various stunts. This scene returns at the end of the film even more climatically – But, you won't find any spoilers here.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
Continuing down the "Jackass" journey we arrive at "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa." This installment is different from others in the franchise. The film is still full of pubic pranks and over-the-top gags, but rather than seeing the regular crew perform these stunts, Knoxville stars solo as an elderly man. There is also a loose plot that acts as a framework where Knoxville's character is driving his grandson across the country.
The film is hilarious, however does have a bit more criticism in the comedy department compared to previous films in the franchise. Many of its reviews on Rotten Tomatoes comment that jokes do land, but a majority of the gags fall flat with the consensus reading, "Never quite as funny as it wants to be, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa still offers viewers the timeless pleasures of seeing an old man get his privates stuck in a vending machine."
"Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" was the first "Jackass" film to receive a nomination for an Oscar with the film being up for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling for Knoxville's elderly transformation. The film ultimately did not win the award, but it is still an impressive achievement nonetheless.
Jackass Forever
We now arrive at the present with 2022's "Jackass Forever" which saw the crew return after 11 years since "Jackass 3D." The film has an emphasis on seeing the crew return in true reboot fashion, but also the fact that the "Jackass" crew is much older now. This is made clear in the trailer as Chris Pontius jokingly says, "A lot of people ask what will 'Jackass' be like once we're older? Well, it'll get more mature."
While the film has not been out for long, it has been a huge success for the franchise having an 85% from critics and a whopping 92% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The domestic opening was also able to bring in around $23 million (per Box Office Mojo.) So, if you're wanting to experience a "Jackass" movie in theaters, now is the time as "Jackass Forever" is still playing in theaters across the country and it is uncertain if there will be more films in the franchise. All the previous films and the MTV series are also available on Paramount Plus.