Deja viewing: the return of the cheapo compilation film
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- Jackass announced Best and Last as the franchise's fifth and final film, heavy on archive footage from prior movies with filming only beginning in February 2026, a month after the film was announced
- Paramount announced in November 2025 it would expand its 2026 release slate to a minimum of 15 films, and CEO David Ellison stated in May that a potential merger with Warner Bros could lead to a 30-film annual slate minimum
- That's Entertainment! (1974) was United Artists' highest-grossing film of the year, spawning sequels with lesser-seen archival footage and inspiring other studios to replicate the compilation format
- Terror in the Aisles (1984), a horror compilation presented by Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen, felt immediately outdated upon release as the rise of video rentals made vintage titles more accessible at home
- Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Training (2024), a feature-length anime recap with a preview of the next season, earned $50m worldwide before falling 82% in its second weekend as word of the cash-grab spread online
- Bluey and Peppa Pig compilation films have become a common early-morning theatrical tool for acclimating young children to cinema runtimes
- Letterboxd reviews from fan screenings of Jackass Best and Last suggest a greater reliance on old footage than new, and the article argues the film's quick production signals it was assembled primarily to meet Paramount's release targets
Why it matters: Paramount's push to hit 15–30 films per year creates a financial incentive to greenlight low-cost compilation and clip-show releases over original productions. The Demon Slayer precedent — a $50m recap that crashed 82% in its second weekend — shows the model works for opening-weekend cash but quickly erodes once audiences realize they've seen the material, raising the question of whether Jackass's broader name recognition can sustain repeat business or suffer the same fate.
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