Last month when I posted about the Jackass 2.5 DVD release, I received an “off-the-record” tip from a friendly guy who informed me that Jackass 2.5 would actually be premiering on the internet. Being a beacon of journalistic integrity, I chose not to clutter up the blogosphere with this unfounded rumour. Of course, it seemed like a perfectly feasible way to release the direct to DVD flick, and it turns out that the story has now been confirmed with an official announcement (thanks for the heads up, random Facebook guy!).

Here’s the deal: Paramount and MTV will be teaming up with Blockbuster to premiere the movie online starting Wed. Dec. 19th, where it will stream for free for one week (ad-supported, of course). After this window (starting Dec. 26th), the movie will be available to buy in stores on DVD and also to buy digitally via online outlets like iTunes and Amazon. Blockbuster, however, has exclusive rights to rent it digitally and on DVD. Stay tuned to the new website jackassworld.com, where a trailer for Jackass 2.5 will become operational shortly, and where a link to the full movie will be provided when the time comes. I’m interested to see how successful this new release model is, and whether or not anyone else follows suit. Will people still buy the DVD if they can watch it online for free? It does stand to reason that the majority of Jackass’ audience is online, so they’re definitely choosing the right content to test the waters with.