TruTV’s surprise winter feature sleeper Impractical Jokers: The Movie will be available on Wednesday, April 1, April Fool’s Day, just five weeks after its theatrical play due to the national shutdown of cinemas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Again no shocker here about the early home release given how all current theatrical releases such as Onward, Sonic the Hedgehog, Invisible Man and more have to take refuge in homes so that they can keep accruing bucks, especially when the entire nation is self quarantined.
The comedy stars James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn, Joe Gatto, and Sal Vulvano, aka the comedy troupe The Tenderloins, who play themselves in a fictional story of a humiliating high school mishap from the early ’90s. Paula Abdul, Jaden Smith, and Joey Fatone make cameos in a feature that combines the fictional narrative with real life footage of over-the-top punishments and callbacks to classic moments from the series. Once the Impractical Jokers hit the road, they compete in hidden camera challenges for the chance to turn back the clock and find redemption.
The movie opened to an impressive $2.6M at 357 theaters over the Feb. 21-23 weekend for a $7,3 theater average, busted wide in weekend 2 at 1,900 theaters, ultimately amassing $10.7M stateside. The digital release on April 1 will go for $19.99.
“Impractical Jokers raised the stakes bringing their hijinks to the big screen and we couldn’t be more proud of their impressive box office debut,” said Brett Weitz, General Manager for TNT, TBS, & truTV. “The unwavering support of their fans prove that this comedy franchise continues to provide endless laughs and entertainment that we are pleased to bring into homes.”
“Impractical Jokers first premiered on truTV to much fanfare in December 2011 and quickly became a hit, especially among young adults,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WBHE Senior Vice President, Originals, Animation & Family Marketing. “The power of the loyal fanbase has proven the sky’s the limit for this comedy franchise, and we are eager to bring home the laughter and antics of their first feature film for the whole family to enjoy.”
“For all our wonderful fans who’ve been requesting, we’re happy to announce that Impractical Jokers: The Movie will be available in your homes to watch digitally on April 1st”, said The Tenderloins. “Hoping we can provide some laughs to families and friends at a time when we can all surely use some.”
The Impractical Jokers series has aired eight seasons with over 200 episodes to date and remains a top three original cable comedy series with ratings that continue to grow.