Every ‘Jackass’ Movie Ranked on Rotten Tomatoes Proves the Gang Got Better With Age

Few film franchises in Hollywood history have managed to improve their critical standing with every single installment, but the ‘Jackass’ series has done exactly that. The franchise first debuted on MTV back in 2000, created by Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, and Jeff Tremaine, and evolved from skate culture roots into a pop culture phenomenon that reached every corner of the globe. What began as a gleefully chaotic TV prank show eventually spawned one of the most unlikely theatrical legacies in modern comedy.

With ‘Jackass: Best and Last’ now in theaters and the franchise having grossed over $550 million across its theatrical releases, there is no better time to look back at how each entry has fared on Rotten Tomatoes. The Tomatometer tells a fascinating story, tracking the evolution of public and critical taste around Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and the rest of the crew, from divisive beginnings to a tearful, gonzo send-off. Here is every main ‘Jackass’ movie ranked from lowest to highest.

‘Jackass: The Movie’ (2002) — 49%

The original film was produced on a modest budget of approximately $5 million, featuring the core ‘Jackass’ cast including Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Dave England, Ryan Dunn, Wee Man, Preston Lacy, and Danger Ehren. It landed the number one spot at the box office on its opening weekend, but the critical reception was a different story entirely.

On Rotten Tomatoes, just 49% of critics gave the film positive reviews based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. Many traditional critics at the time simply were not equipped to process what they were watching. The bar for what counted as mainstream entertainment was dramatically different before the age of YouTube and viral video culture reshaped the landscape.

‘Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa’ (2013) — 61%

This spinoff took a different approach by wrapping its prank format around an actual narrative, starring Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll, using a loose story to connect its stunts and pranks in a manner reminiscent of ‘Borat’, as opposed to the three original ‘Jackass’ films which did not have a story. The ambition was admirable, and the film even made franchise history with an awards recognition most people never saw coming.

Head makeup artist Stephen Prouty was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 86th Academy Awards, while Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 61% based on 109 reviews. The critics consensus reads that it is never quite as funny as it wants to be, but still offers viewers the timeless pleasures of seeing an old man get his privates stuck in a vending machine. The narrative ambition was real, but the departure from ensemble chaos left some fans cold.

‘Jackass: Number Two’ (2006) — 66%

‘Jackass: Number Two’ is widely regarded by fans as the creative high-water mark of the franchise, even if the Tomatometer does not quite reflect that reputation. Filming took place across locations including India, Australia, England, Moscow, and Argentina, and the film holds a 66% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus acknowledged that it dares you not to laugh, even if the score did not fully capture how beloved the sequel became among devotees.

The New York Times awarded it a Critic’s Pick, writing that despite being debased, infantile, and reckless in the extreme, it makes for some of the most fearless, liberated, and cathartic comedy in modern movies. Many fans still argue to this day that no entry in the franchise has ever topped it.

‘Jackass 3D’ (2010) — 67%

‘Jackass 3D’ arrived at the peak of the theatrical 3D craze and became the highest-grossing film in the franchise. Released in the United States in the 3D format, it also marked the tenth anniversary of the ‘Jackass’ television series and was the last film to feature Ryan Dunn as a full cast member before his death in 2011. The timing gave the third entry a spectacle that earlier installments simply could not match.

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 67% based on 111 reviews, and the website’s critical consensus reads that the ‘Jackass’ gang might be running out of gross-out stunts, but the installment contains plenty of brilliantly brain-dead comedy and the 3D adds a pungent new dimension. It edged past ‘Number Two’ on the Tomatometer by a single percentage point, even as many fans insist the sequel remains the superior film.

‘Jackass Forever’ (2022) — 86%

‘Jackass Forever’ caught critics almost entirely off guard, notching an 86% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was directed by franchise mainstay Jeff Tremaine and brought back most of the original gang, alongside a handful of newcomers including Zach Holmes, Jasper Dolphin, Rachel Wolfson, and Sean McInerney. The return from a decade-long hiatus clearly landed in a way nobody outside the fanbase expected.

By the time ‘Jackass Forever’ arrived, the cast and audiences had drastically changed. Some of the performers had taken a life of sobriety, while former star Ryan Dunn had died in a car accident. Viewers were coming out of a global pandemic, and the entertainment of ‘Forever’ was less about watching a quality movie and more about catching up with some old friends and laughing at the most absurd and childish things imaginable. The emotional undercurrent made critics take the franchise more seriously than they ever had before.

‘Jackass: Best and Last’ (2026) — 87%+

‘Jackass: Best and Last’ is the fifth and apparently final ‘Jackass’ movie, and it has set a new critical high for the entire franchise on Rotten Tomatoes. Old footage is included that pays homage to Ryan Dunn, who died in 2011, along with Bam Margera, who had a falling out with the ‘Jackass’ crew amid the production of the fourth movie. The decision to weave archival material alongside new stunts turned out to be a critical strength rather than a weakness.

Alana Anderson of Metro noted that Knoxville has infamously said after each of the five films that he has had enough, but this one actually feels like a genuine goodbye to a beloved pioneer of slapstick comedy. Guy Lodge of Variety wrote that you leave ‘Jackass: Best and Last’ believing that they’ll actually miss all this, and that’s enough to make us miss it too. Whether you think the franchise peaked here or back in ‘Number Two’, share your definitive ranking of the ‘Jackass’ films in the comments.