JACKASSES RETURN AND DO MUCH KICKING

UPDATE:
Jackass 3D piled up an estimated $21.7 million on Friday — sending box-office analysts scouring their charts to see whether any other film released in October ever recorded a bigger Friday opening. The film was expected to register its biggest day at the box office on Friday — but not that big. In second place was RED with $7.1 million — performing about as expected.

EARLIER: Back in October 2002, no one could have been more surprised than the box office experts when Johnny Knoxville’s Jackass: The Movie, based on his bizarre MTV show, opened during the fall doldrums with $22.8 million — despite receiving the most scathing reviews of the year. Jack Mathews, who was then the movie critic for the New York Daily News, concluded, “There aren’t enough pooper-scoopers in Manhattan to clean up after this mess.” Four years later, the first sequel landed — in late September, an even drearier time at the box office ordinarily. It raked in $29 million in its opening weekend, once again amazing the experts. Another four years have now passed and the forecasters have seemingly learned their lesson. Given the fact that the new installment is in 3D, with the accompanying surcharge (it will be the first film to have no 2D venues), they’re now predicting that Jackass 3D will rake in around $35 million. (It cost about $20 million to produce.) Its only close competition will be Summit Entertainment’s action-comedy Red, based on the DC Comics series, with an impressive cast that includes Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren and Richard Dreyfus. It’s expected to earn $18-22 million. Meanwhile, The Social Network, which held the box office championship over the past two weeks, is expected to slip to third place this weekend with a probable gross of $9-11 million. Also opening in limited release are the Clint Eastwood-directed Hereafter, starring Matt Damon, in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, and Conviction, starring Hilary Swank, in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston.