Though they aren’t high art, the Jackass movies in order represent a nostalgic piece of aughts popular culture at its finest. Debuting on MTV in 2000, Jackass was fronted by Johnny Knoxville and featured now-iconic stunt performers such as Steve-O, Jason “Wee Man” Acuña, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Preston Lacy, and Ehren McGhehey. While parents and politicians were concerned about the influence the show would have on younger viewers who wanted to imitate the show’s dangerous stunts, the outrage only added to the Jackass‘ notoriety. Though it only ran for three seasons, Jackass quickly jumped to the big screen and found an even larger audience.
The series and movies aren’t for everyone, but viewers who surrender to Jackass‘ charms are often well rewarded. Birthed from the rise of skating culture in the ’90s, the Jackass movies are all about the adrenaline rush of facing imminent danger with style and humor. Equally terrifying and awe-inspiring, the only long-term story in the stunt-driven Jackass franchise is how its cast continues to survive the physical punishment they so willingly inflict on each other. Despite its raucous reputation, the Jackass cast starred in other movies and TV shows, and became bona fide celebrities in their own right.
1 Jackass: The Movie (2002)
The winner of the 2003 Razzie Award for Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie, Jackass: The Movie was a major hit in 2002. Apart from launching Knoxville’s Hollywood career, the movie put the entire Jackass crew in the mainstream spotlight, proving that the simple concept behind the franchise didn’t just cater to niche audiences. Though the first of the Jackass movies received mixed reviews, it earned an impressive $79.5 million (via Box Office Mojo) globally. Jackass: The Movie remains memorable for Steve-O snorting wasabi, Ryan Dunn getting beat up by a female Japanese kickboxing champion, and Knoxville getting knocked out cold by pro boxer Butterbean.
2 Jackass Number Two (2006)
Watching the Jackass movies in order shows immediate growth, and Jackass Number Two was released at the height of the Jackass franchise’s popularity. Well-remembered for the stunt involving Steve-O swimming in the shark-infested Gulf of Mexico with one cheek freshly pierced by a fishhook, Jackass Number Two made $84.6 million globally versus an $11 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Though the entire premise of Jackass made a second movie easy enough to make, Jackass Number Two succeeded at being better than the original, an uncommon feat for a sequel in any franchise. This is thanks to the second Jackass movie being generally more polished and better-paced than the first.
3 Jackass 2.5 (2007)
Beginning the trend of Jackass movies getting “.5″ versions released online, Jackass 2.5 is basically Jackass Number Two with additional content. This includes additional footage and scenes that failed to make the cut in Jackass Number Two, the making of the movie, a photo gallery, and other added content. Notably, Knoxville travels to a clinic in Russia to get a prostate exam, Margera flies a kite out of his using anal beads, and Wee Man becomes a bullfighter — but against a calf.
4 Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman’s Tribute to Evel Knievel (2008)
Detouring from the order of the Jackass movie series, Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman’s Tribute to Evel Knievel is less of a comedy and more of a tribute to the eponymous iconic stunt performer who died a year prior. Indeed, the rest of the Jackass crew even sits the film out simply because the stunts are more suited to BMX legend Mat Hoffman and his fellow professionals. With each scene being a matter of life and death instead of just painful, humiliating injury, the film is still a worthwhile watch for its astonishing stunts. While some of the Jackass stunts seemed staged, the feats in Tribute to Evel Knievel were very real.
5 Jackass 3D (2010)
Largely regarded as the greatest of all Jackass movies, Jackass 3D, as the title implies, features 3D technology as explained in a cameo by animated ’90s stars Beavis and Butt-Head. However, Jackass 3D is best known for Steve-O and Wee Man’s giant slapping hand prank in the office, the stun gun and cattle prod obstacle course, and the various scenes of everyone getting blown away by an idling jet engine. With the budget swelling to $20 million, Jackass 3D notably bagged $171.7 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), making it the most financially successful of all the Jackass movies.
6 Jackass 3.5 (2011)
Following Jackass 3D in the order of the Jackass films, Jackass 3.5 featured outtakes from the previous movie. The film included “Magna Goggles,” in which various crew members attempt simple tasks like hammering a nail or catching a football — but while wearing binoculars. Jackass 3.5 also featured the short-lived but epic saga of successive pranks that end with McGehey and Margera getting into an actual fight. Additionally, Wee Man also revisited his time as a bullfighter, but with a real bull, and only a yoga ball for protection.
7 Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
The second of the Jackass Presents movies, Bad Grandpa is also the first in Jackass movie order with an actual (albeit loose) narrative. Knoxville stars as the titular poorly behaved grandpa to Billy (Jackson Nicoll), and their shenanigans in public are the crux of the comedy. Though it released to mixed reviews, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa remains a classic hidden-camera comedy movie alongside the likes of Borat and Bad Trip. Bad Grandpa also made $151.8 million worldwide versus a $15 million budget (via Box Office Mojo).
8 Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5 (2014)
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5 featured around 40 minutes of additional footage and outtakes from the making of the movie. Previous “.5” versions of Jackass movies were typically released online. However, Bad Grandpa .5 was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2014.
9 Jackass Forever (2022)
Very few movie stars could return to a franchise after years away and create a movie that surpassed the original. Yet, Knoxville, Steve-O, Wee Man, and the rest of the remaining original crew managed to pull it off in Jackass Forever. The classic crew is joined by newcomers Jasper Dolphin of Odd Future, Rachel Wolfson, Sean “Poopies” McInerney, Eric Manaka, and Zach “Zackass” Holmes. The newbies performed the stunts too dangerous for the aging main cast, though the old captains definitely pulled their weight, with Knoxville notably getting concussed again. Somehow, the stunts in Jackass Forever recaptured what made the first movies so great.
10 Jackass 4.5 (2022)
The last in the order of the Jackass movies so far, Jackass Forever had a budget of $20 million and made $80.5 million globally (via Box Office Mojo). Jackass 4.5 was released shortly after on Netflix and contained the usual outtakes and behind-the-scenes antics. According to Variety, Paramount Plus will be the exclusive streaming home of all Paramount movies by 2024, which means that Jackass 4.5 will likely leave Netflix sometime before then.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
