| The Purge | |
| Creator: | James DeMonaco |
| Origin: | The Purge (2013) |
| Owner: | Universal Pictures |
| Years: | 2013–present |
| Tv: | The Purge (2018–2019) |
The Purge is an American anthology media franchise centered on a series of dystopian action horror films distributed by Universal Pictures and produced by Blumhouse Productions and Platinum Dunes, which are written and in some cases also directed by James DeMonaco, who was inspired by a episode, "The Return of the Archons". The films present a seemingly normal, crime-free America in the near future. However, the country is a dystopia which observes an annual event known as "the Purge", in which all crime, including murder, is legal for a 12-hour period.
The franchise began in 2013 with The Purge, directed by creator DeMonaco, who also directed two of the sequels and wrote the screenplays for all films in the series. A fifth installment, The Forever Purge, was released on July 2, 2021. In addition to the films, the franchise has spawned a twenty-episode television series which premiered on September 4, 2018, and concluded on December 17, 2019; DeMonaco wrote its pilot episode.
The franchise has received a mixed critical reception but has grossed over $500 million overall, against a combined production budget of $53 million.
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter | Producers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Purge | James DeMonaco | Jason Blum, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, Michael Bay & Sebastien Lemercier | |||
| The First Purge | Gerard McMurray | James DeMonaco | |||
| The Forever Purge | Everardo Gout | Jason Blum, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, Michael Bay, James DeMonaco & Sebastien Lemercier | |||
| Untitled sixth Purge film | James DeMonaco | ||||
See main article: The Purge (2013 film). The Purge stars Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Rhys Wakefield, Tony Oller and Arija Bareikis.
The film, set in the year 2022, depicts a wealthy family who acquired their wealth by selling security systems for use during the annual purge.
Despite mixed reviews, the film grossed $89.3 million during its run, far surpassing its $3 million budget. The film was turned into a scare zone in 2014 for Universal Parks & Resorts annual Halloween Horror Nights due to its success.
See main article: The Purge: Anarchy. The Purge: Anarchy[1] stars Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Zoë Soul and Michael K. Williams, while Edwin Hodge briefly reprises his role of "The Stranger" from the first movie.[2]
Unlike the first Purge film, which was set entirely in one house during the carnage, Anarchy follows a waitress and her daughter who go out to the Los Angeles area during the annual purge, eventually running into an anti-purge group who offers them some protection.
The film generally received mixed reviews, but many critics believed that it was much better than the first film, and it was a box office success as it grossed $111.9 million, recovering its $9 million budget by more than ten times.
See main article: The Purge: Election Year. The third film was released on July 1, 2016.[3] Frank Grillo and Edwin Hodge reprise their roles from the previous film and are joined by Elizabeth Mitchell, who plays Senator Charlie Roan. On October 6, it was announced that James DeMonaco would be back for the third film to write and direct, while producers Sébastien K. Lemercier, Blumhouse Productions' Jason Blum, and Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form would also be back. Shooting began on September 16 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.[4]
The film, set in 2040, takes place during a presidential election year in the United States. The election is between a member of the New Founding Fathers against a senator who wants to end the annual purge after losing her family as a teenager in the purge.
The film received mixed reviews from critics and went on to gross over $118 million worldwide against a budget of $10 million, becoming the second highest-grossing film of the series.
See main article: The First Purge. In September 2016, James DeMonaco, who wrote and directed every film in the series thus far, stated that the fourth film would be a prequel to the trilogy. The film shows how the United States got to the point of accepting the Purge.[5]
The film, set in 2014, takes place in the New York City borough of Staten Island. As the title suggests, it is about the first Purge in the United States, which is done as an experiment to combat crime and poverty. The only place in which the Purge is occurring, Staten Island, is completely locked down for those who choose to participate and those who do wear contact lens with a built-in camera during the purge and will be paid $5,000 for staying in Staten Island, along with receiving additional money for full participation.
In February 2017, DeMonaco announced that a fourth installment was in development. DeMonaco returned to write the script, while Jason Blum, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form returned to produce the film with Sébastien K. Lemercier.[6] In July 2017 it was announced that Gerard McMurray was signed to direct the film, and shooting began in September 2017 in Buffalo, New York.[7] The film was released on July 4, 2018, to mixed reviews from critics and went on to gross over $137 million worldwide on a $13 million budget, becoming the highest grossing entry in the franchise.[8]
See main article: The Forever Purge. In October 2018, James DeMonaco, the creator of The Purge, stated that the fifth film was set to be the last film in the series, stating that "it will be a really cool ending, how we take this one home."[9]
In August 2019, it was announced that Everardo Valerio Gout will direct the film.[10] The film was initially scheduled to be released in the United States on July 10, 2020, by Universal Pictures.[11] In May 2020, the film was delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] In July 2020, the film was rescheduled for July 9, 2021.[13] [14] In April 2021, it was moved forward a week to July 2, 2021.[15]
The film takes place eight years after Election Year, in 2048 and 2049, and the Purge has been reinstated by the re-elected New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA). In response to eight years without a Purge, an anti-immigration hate group which is known as The Forever After Purge continues the Purge after the end of the purge, proceeding to wipe the government out, take control of major cities in the country and commence what it calls a "purification" of the country. The primary targets of the group's purification campaign are immigrants and members of the upper classes.
In June 2021, producer Jason Blum stated that he intends to make additional Purge films and that he is working on convincing DeMonaco to continue the story. The producer stated that he would not make more without the filmmaker's collaboration. DeMonaco later stated that up until four months previous he had intended The Forever Purge to be the final film in the franchise. The filmmaker stated that one day he woke up with another idea where he could "flip this thing upside down and we can continue... in a way that people can enjoy." DeMonaco confirmed that he is working on the script while stating that whether it is made, depends on the reception to the previous film.[16]
In September 2021, in an interview with Nightmare on Film Street, DeMonaco stated that the story for the film includes Frank Grillo reprising his role as Leo Barnes.[17] The story includes a worldwide Purge, an idea that he had originally intended for a third season of now-cancelled television series.[18] By September, DeMonaco had completed the script and signed on to additionally serve as director; while Grillo officially signed on to reprise his role in the franchise. The film will take place 10 years after The Forever Purge, in 2059, while the portrayal of the dystopian "tribalized" America will be different in this film, referencing Escape from New York as an influence, and following Barnes in the midst of the Second American Civil War as he is sent on a mission through various Purge states.[19] [20] [21]
See main article: The Purge (TV series). In May 2017, it was reported that Syfy and USA Network would premiere the series in 2018.[22] On February 26, 2018, it was announced that Gabriel Chavarria and Jessica Garza were cast as the leads in the upcoming series.[23] On November 6, 2018, USA Network renewed the show for a second season,[24] which premiered October 15, 2019, with 10 episodes and follows up from the events of the first season. In an interview with Scream, The Purge television series showrunner Thomas Kelly stated that a heist film set on Purge Night has been considered; this plot point was later used in the series' second season.[25] On May 13, 2020, the USA Network canceled the series after two seasons.[26]
| Characters | Films | Television series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThePurge | TheFirstPurge | TheForeverPurge | Untitledsixth Purge film | The Purge | ||||
| Season1 | Season2 | |||||||
| Megan Lewis | Cindy Robinson | Cindy Robinson | ||||||
| Dwayne "Dante" Bishop | Edwin Hodge | Edwin Hodge | colspan="5" | |||||
| James Sandin | Ethan Hawke | |||||||
| Freak Purgers | Tyler Osterkamp | colspan="6" | ||||||
| Nathan Clarkson | colspan="6" | |||||||
| Polite Leader | RhysWakefield | colspan="6" | ||||||
| Blonde Female Freak Purger | Alicia Vela-Bailey | colspan="6" | ||||||
| Leo Barnes | Frank Grillo | Frank Grillo | colspan="2" | |||||
| President Charlene "Charlie" Roan | ElizabethMitchell | colspan="2" | ||||||
| Bobby Sheridan | Dermot Mulroney | Dermot Mulroney | ||||||
In 2014, following an economic collapse and rising social unrest, a political organization named The New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) is formed and voted into office. The organization establishes a new totalitarian government and a police state. In 2016, the NFFA devises a plan to help stabilize American society, and later in 2017, the 28th Amendment to the U.S Constitution is ratified.[27] [28] This amendment establishes a 12-hour event known as "The Purge" which would take place from 7 PM on March 21 to 7 AM on March 22 wherein all crime becomes legal. Before the Purge begins, the Emergency Broadcast System (the predecessor to the Emergency Alert System, which returned for unexplained reasons) is activated with rules and a prayer saying "Blessed be our New Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn" before ending with "May God be with you all".
The rules for the annual Purge are as follows:
Below is how the Emergency Broadcast System announces the Purge's commencement in the first two films:
In The Purge: Election Year, the rule granting immunity to ranking 10 officials is revoked by the NFFA to assassinate Roan, an anti-Purge Presidential candidate who runs on a platform of overturning the 28th Amendment which, to the NFFA's distress, has achieved parity in the polls with their candidate. This change is reflected in the announcement of the final Purge's commencement as follows:
The First Purge, taking place in 2016 on Staten Island, New York, was blocked off from all contact due to the First Purge really being a social experiment conducted by the New Founding Fathers, providing monetary compensation of at least $5,000 to anyone who decides to stay on the island for the night, one year prior to the first nationwide Purge. Below is the commencement speech:
Within the film series, the Purge has resulted in crime and unemployment rates plummeting to 1% and a strong economy. Although it's thought to be used as an act of catharsis for the U.S. populace, it's actually used as a method of artificial population control, as the unemployed poor in slum neighborhoods as well as some working-class people are usually the main targets. In Election Year, a character notes that sneaking up on a Black man on Purge night is a particularly foolish action, suggesting that Black people are used to being targets on this night. By this time it has also increased tourism as foreigners enter the US solely to participate in the Purge.
Below is the fictional timeline played out in the franchise:
The Purge is one of the highest-grossing horror film franchises of all-time.
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Budget | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | International | Worldwide | |||||
| The Purge | June 7, 2013 | $64,473,115 | $24,855,512 | $89,328,627 | $3 million | [30] | |
| The Purge: Anarchy | July 18, 2014 | $71,962,800 | $39,965,565 | $111,928,365 | $9 million | [31] | |
| The Purge: Election Year | July 1, 2016 | $79,213,375 | $39,374,505 | $118,587,880 | $10 million | [32] | |
| The First Purge | July 4, 2018 | $69,488,745 | $67,657,517 | $137,056,262 | $13 million | [33] | |
| The Forever Purge | July 2, 2021 | $44,539,245 | $32,455,000 | $76,994,245 | $18 million | [34] | |
| Total< | --DO NOT REMOVE TEMPLATE-->!$ | $ | $ | $53 million[35] | |||
| Film | Critical | Public | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore | ||
| The Purge | [36] | 41 (33 reviews)[37] | ||
| The Purge: Anarchy | [38] | 50 (32 reviews)[39] | [40] | |
| The Purge: Election Year | [41] | 55 (31 reviews)[42] | ||
| The First Purge | [43] | 54 (39 reviews)[44] | ||
| The Purge Season 1 | 42% (38 reviews)[45] | 44 (13 reviews)[46] | ||
| The Forever Purge | [47] | 53 (33 reviews)[48] | [49] | |