PETA Outraged By 'Jackass Forever', Calls For Investigation Into Animal Stunts
With an 85% approval rating among critics at Rotten Tomatoes, "Jackass Forever" is a hit to majority of movie-goers.
But not PETA.
Yes, that PETA, which always seems to stick its nose where it's not welcome. So we really shouldn't be surprised the animal rights organization has it out for Johnny Knoxville and the crew.
Released to theaters across the country on Feb. 4, the fourth installment of the "Jackass" franchise allegedly shows the stuntmen committing animal cruelty in some stunts, according to PETA. To nobody's shock, the organization is pleading with people to skip out on viewing the film.
"Instead of cutting scenes that involved goading a bull into charging, provoking a sensitive snake to the point of attack, and forcing an easily frightened tarantula into an enclosed tube between the heads of two people who were yelling, Paramount Pictures added even more animal-exploiting “stunts” into the film’s final cut," PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. "PETA is calling on Los Angeles city and San Luis Obispo County prosecutors to investigate the apparent cruelty to animals depicted in the film and asking moviegoers to boycott Jackass Forever."
As of Monday, the movie has already grossed $23 million at the box office, per Box Office Mojo. That makes "Jackass Forever" the No. 1 movie currently in theaters.
According to the New York Post, PETA wrote a letter to Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer and Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Kimberly Abourezk in September after the trailer was released. In the letter, PETA claims that Paramount Pictures had violated California's animal cruelty laws in its production.
“If Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville want to make a career out of nasty little boy fantasies, they’re entitled to, as long as they don’t stress, harm, poke, prod, scare, or bother animals who are used as living props for their idiocy,” PETA SVP Lisa Lange said in a statement to Deadline. “PETA is reminding city and county prosecutors that no one is above the law and that while the rest of the world wants to save bees and recognizes animals as sentient individuals, these jackasses exploit and abuse them for fun.”
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