Jackass #1
A New York Times story (registration required) on this past weekend's surprising success:
"Jackass the Movie," a big-screen version of the MTV cable television cult hit in which its star, Johnny Knoxville, and others engage in dangerous stunts and gross-out escapades, became the No. 1 movie in America over the weekend by earning an estimated $22.7 million at 2,507 theaters....
"Older teenagers and college-age students apparently just love to watch people do the things that the people do in this movie," said Paul Dergarabedian, chairman of Exhibitor Relations, a Los Angeles company that monitors box-office results. "It's like people will always stop to see a train wreck."
The film, which was made for $5 million, was not previewed for critics, and drew almost universally dreadful reviews when critics finally saw it on Friday. But the fact that the movie was found noxious by the establishment is a large part of its appeal to young people eager to find ways to prove they are not in thrall to authority figures.