Gross-out movie is king of grosses

In an attention-getting stunt that may not be as outrageous as some of its antics but was no less effective, “Jackass the Movie” landed at No. 1 over the weekend, once again demonstrating the box-office muscle of males under age 25.

“Jackass,” a film version of the Johnny Knoxville-fronted MTV show about young men performing dangerous, frequently idiotic, sometimes repulsive stunts, grossed an estimated $22.7 million on 2,509 screens. The film, which cost only about $5 million to make, is a much-needed hit for its distributor, Paramount, which has suffered repeated flops in recent months, including the expensive period epic “The Four Feathers,” and, most recently, the youth-oriented thriller “Abandon.”

Most of the film’s business came Friday night, with 66% of the audience male and 71% under 25, according to exit surveys conducted by Paramount. Nearly 50% were males between 17 and 24.

Because the movie is rated R, studio executives say they did their best to keep out kids under 17 by not advertising the film on television before 9 p.m. Fearing surprise raids, some exhibitors say they went to great lengths to make sure no one under 17 got in. But industry sources say it is virtually impossible to prevent a determined youngster from seeing the film, particularly in megaplexes with 16 or more screens.

Universal’s “The Truth About Charlie” debuted at No.14 with an estimated $2.3 million. Even considering the film was in only 752 theaters, its meager per-screen average of $3,105 indicates limited audience interest in seeing Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton in a remake of “Charade.”

Another remake, this one of a Japanese horror movie, “The Ring,” came in second, jumping an impressive 25% from its opening weekend because of an increase in theaters. The film brought in an estimated $18.8 million, averaging $7,133 on 2,634 screens for a cumulative total of $39.7 million.

Warner Bros.’ “Ghost Ship,” debuted in third place with an estimated $11.7 million in its maiden voyage. Disney’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” slipped to fourth, grossing an estimated $6.4 million, bringing its total to $107.2 million. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” continues to plug away at the box office, coming in at fifth and grossing an estimated $6.3 million. That film, which was released in May, has grossed $177.8 million.

Universal’s “Red Dragon” continued to droop, this week to No. 6 with an estimated $4.7 million for a total of nearly $85 million. Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Punch-Drunk Love” is blooming, with nearly $3.5 million over the weekend for a total of $6.1 million since its release three weekends ago. Sony Pictures, which distributed the Revolution Studios film, has slowly rolled out the film after its initial release in a handful of theaters. The movie, which stars Emily Watson and Adam Sandler, increased to 481 theaters compared with 75 last weekend.

At No. 8 is the children’s animated, biblical-themed “Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie,” distributed by Artisan Entertainment. That film grossed an estimated $2.9 million for a total of $19.7 million over four weeks.

At No. 9 is Fox’s “The Transporter,” which grossed an estimated $2.8 million for a total of $21.5. Rounding out the top 10 was Fox Searchlight’s “Brown Sugar,” which took in an estimated $2.7 million for a total of $22.3 million.

Total box office for the weekend’s top 10 movies was an estimated $82.7 million, according to tracking firm Nielsen EDI.