Kikakee sign, he ultimately falls and then the sign falls on him. Cast Production Principal photography took place in Tennessee from September 3 until September 24, 1986. About 150 local Boy Scouts were hired as extras and turtle wranglers. For the film's climatic battle, they gathered around twenty-five turtles from a Nashville pond. Reception On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a "Fresh" rating of 62% based on 13 critics, with an average rating of 5.4/10, while on Metacritic, the film received a score of 24 based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale. Box office Ernest Goes to Camp grossed $6.2 million in 1541 theaters its opening weekend. By its second week, it had made $3.6 million. It went on to gross a total of $23.5 million. Home media Originally released on VHS in 1987, with a re-issue in 1991 and a pan-and-scan Laserdisc release in 1992; this film's first DVD release was on September 3, 2002, from Touchstone Home Entertainment. Mill Creek Entertainment re-released it on January 18, 2011, as part of the two-disc set "Ernest Triple Feature" along with Ernest Goes to Jail and Ernest Scared Stupid. The Blu-ray was released on March 29, 2011, in a single disc Double Feature set along with Ernest Goes to Jail, and later on its own Blu-ray on June 13, 2011. A second Blu-ray double feature with Camp Nowhere was released on March 26, 2013. References External links 1987 comedy films 1987 films American children's comedy films Ernest P. Worrell films Films directed by John R. Cherry III Films shot in Tennessee Works based on advertisements Films about summer camps Touchstone Pictures films Native Americans in popular culture 1980s English-language films 1980s American films