The Jackass franchise proved once again that you do not need a beautiful screenplay with an intricate plot to rise to number one.

“Jackass 3D,” the third movie that spawned off of MTV’s hit show, “Jackass,” rose to number one in the box office this past weekend, earning just over $50 million.

It had the second largest opening of 2010, behind Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” and the largest gross total revenue for an opening weekend in October ever.

This movie comes four years after “Jackass 2.”

“I think it takes about four years to recover from a ‘Jackass’ movie,” director Jeff Tremaine said.

Fans of the first two movies or the TV show will feel at home with this installment. All the familiars are back: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Jason “Weeman” Acuna and others.

Each has set out to prove they are the modern day slapstick comedian kings.

From the beginning, viewers will be on the edge of their seats, laughing as they watch cast members performing stunts involving various levels of danger and audacity.

“The High Five” pits each cast member against a giant hand that unknowingly knocks them off their feet as they walk through a doorframe.

The “Rocky” throws water on the left side of a cast member’s face and then follows up with a right hook from behind.

What makes this more entertaining is the use of 3D projection technology and super slow-motion playback. Viewers can see the ripples running through Preston Lacy’s stomach fat as a cannon ball is fired into his chest. They can see the fecal matter flying through the air, piece by piece, towards their eyes, as Steve-O is strapped inside a filled port-a-potty attached to bungee cords flying hundreds of feet in the air.

While the common opinion of “Jackass” is that it was once for the crude humor of juvenile delinquents, tides seem to be turning as the series continues to crank out movies. The New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) held a screening of the movie last week, which may leave some people scratching their heads.

New York MoMA curator Josh Siegel told The New York Times that “[Jackass] is merely the climax — or the lowest depths, if you prefer — of a tradition that dates back to 1895, when the Lumière brothers drenched a poor sap with a garden hose and filmed it.”

who has grown up watching the TV series or the movies will not be disappointed.

If you enjoy the occasional movie where you don’t have to spend hours thinking about the plot and just want to enjoy watching some grown men express their love by punching each other in the groins, give it a try. “Jackass” is now in theaters nation-wide.