LOS ANGELES, USA - The new 3D outing for the MTV cast of Jackass led by Johnny Knoxville has broken October box office records with a $50 million weekend.

The success of Jackass 3D shows how the popularity of the MTV franchise has gained momentum at the box office with previous Jackass movies earning big dollars. Audiences are hungry for slapstick comedy, the lighter side of life, and the daredevil antics that the cast have brought to screens so many times in the past.

Some may feel the antics are not screen worthy and that they form a very basic level of humour, however the popularity of such humour has become accepted in society and highly demanded on TV and in the cinema.

Hollywood studios will also take note as the cost of producing a documentary film without A list stars is much lower than that of a huge blockbuster film. Although the latest Jackass movie has a 3D treatment, it is likely that the core fan base of the TV series were headed to the cinema irrespective of the format.

What others will also look at in closer detail is the star value of Johnny Knoxville, who is becoming a household name for comedy. Reality TV has also grown significantly in popularity an industry execs may be looking at monetizing the success of these shows through documentaries or even fiction.

Knoxville recently showcased the cultural revival of Detroit in a lighthearted documentary film called Detroit Lives which was praised for reversing the typical view that the city was the death of the American dream . Often documentaries do not have such an impact on mainstream audiences because of limited distribution, however prolific filmmakers such as Michael Moore have managed to attract huge audiences, and perhaps the revenue models for indie films may now outweigh the high risk investments made on epic movies. Are reality TV stars becoming the new Hollywood A list?