The Purge films consistently make huge profits at the box office, however the franchise’s end seems to be approaching as, according to the creator, the next movie will likely be the last. In 2013, Blumhouse co-produced the series’ first film, The Purge, in collaboration with Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes for a mere $3 million. Written and directed by James DeMonaco, the film introduced the chilling premise of an annual Purge, in which murder in America is legalized for one night only. Both Ethan Hawke (First Reformed) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) carried The Purge, ultimately resulting in $89 million in ticket sales.
For The Purge: Anarchy (2014), DeMonaco retained the same filmmaking duties using a slightly higher budget, with Frank Grillo stepping into the lead and reprising his role for The Purge: Election Year (2016). Both sequels outperformed their respective budgets 10 times over, opening the door for a 2018 prequel, The First Purge, which earned over $136 at the box office. For the last installment, DeMonaco wrote the script once again, however Gerard McMurray stepped in to direct. Now, it seems that The Purge’s theatrical narrative will soon reach its final chapter.
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Per EW, DeMonaco - the franchise's creator - recently suggested that he’s already envisioned a bittersweet end. Though he’s cryptic with the details, the concept has been “pitched to everybody," and he believes the conclusion will be “a really cool ending."
In addition to the movie franchise, DeMonaco also created a television series for USA, with the first of eight episodes premiering last September. Starring Lili Simmons (Banshee), Amanda Warren (The Leftovers), and Gabriel Chavarria (War for the Planet of the Apes), the TV version has received lukewarm reviews, suggesting that perhaps the storyline is better suited for mature genre audiences rather than network subscribers. DeMonaco wrote the series premiere “What Is America?,” an episode that resulted in the highest ratings thus far, however the numbers subsequently dropped over several weeks, only to rise again, if only slightly, with the last three October episodes.
As usual, Blumhouse is currently on a roll thanks to Halloween, and the company should begin strong in 2019 with both Glass and Happy Death Day 2U scheduled for January releases. Though DeMonaco may be ready to step away from The Purge franchise, he’s certainly not separating himself from Blumhouse, as he began production last May on Once Upon a Time in Staten Island - an 80s-set drama starring Grillo, Naomi Watts (The Divergent Series), and Bobby Cannavale (The Irishman).
Even if there’s not another franchise film, DeMonaco has already established both a Blumhouse and genre legacy with The Purge series.
More: The Purge Series Premiere Review: A Mostly Generic Expansion Of The Franchise
Source: EW
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