While most films’ successes are shouted from every rooftop, the figures from Jay And Silent Bob Reboot have largely been kept quiet, leaving even Kevin Smith unaware of its record-breaking success.
While the new movie didn’t perform as well as its predecessor Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back – which made an impressive $11 million in its opening weekend in 2001 – the sequel still managed to break records.
Indeed, it even beat the performances of movies such as Avengers: Endgame and The Lion King live-action remake, though writer and director Kevin Smith wasn’t initially aware of it.
While Jay and Silent Bob Reboot only made $93,520 in its opening weekend, that figure was generated from just one cinema.
This means that during its opening weekend, the film averaged more from one cinema than any other movie up to that point in 2019.
Only 42 other movies in cinematic history had accomplished such an impressive per-theater average, according to Forbes.
The comedy kept the crown until Parasite was released in February 2020, which generated an impressive $125,000.
If it hadn’t been for Forbes bringing it to his attention, Smith wouldn’t have known of the record-breaking success.
Sharing its article, Smith tweeted:
Thank you to Travis Bean at @Forbes for pointing out a box office record I had no idea #JayAndSilentBobReboot broke! And big thanks to all of you tour ticket buyers who made it happen!
In a recent interview with UNILAD prior to the release of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Smith was asked the question of whose career he was ‘secretly jealous of’, and he said it would probably be Quentin Tarantino.
Smith said:
What a great fucking question. Who do I look at and go like, ‘Man!’? Maybe Quentin’s [Tarantino] to some degree. Just because he can do no wrong. Even when a movie comes out and it doesn’t go too well, people are like, ‘He’s a fucking genius’ and stuff. That would be great, no matter what you did, people were like, ‘Oh it’s excellent.’ I’d take that. Of course it helps to be excellent like Quentin.
I guess, if I wanted his career, I’d want his talent more than his career. Because if I had his talent I’d have his fucking career. Otherwise I’d have his career without earning it. Yeah, I’d want his talent. That’s a little greedy, but to want his career and talent… I sound like He Who Shall Not Be Named, Voldemort, I want more. ‘I want his talent, Harry. I want it all.’ I should’ve just been like, ‘Nah his career would be good,’ and leave it at that. God, I sounded like a villain, man. And it was such an easy question.
Tarantino recently broke his own record with his film One Upon A Time In Hollywood, which featured a star-studded cast including Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie.
He had set a previous record of $39 million for a opening weekend for Inglourious Basterds, released back in 2009. Tarantino broke his own record, with One Upon A Time In Hollywood making a cool $40 million.
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Niamh Shackleton is a pint sized person and journalist at UNILAD. After studying Multimedia Journalism at the University of Salford, she did a year at Caters News Agency as a features writer in Birmingham before deciding that Manchester is (arguably) one of the best places in the world, and therefore moved back up north. She’s also UNILAD’s unofficial crazy animal lady.