We live in an era where the film franchise rules all. But even before everything in theaters was part of a comic book universe, the horror franchise was seemingly as undying as its antagonist. It’s rare for any horror franchise to disappear for too long, and it looks like one of the modern hits of the genre, The Purge, may be ready for its comeback.

There were five Purge movies between 2013 and 2021, but since The Forever Purge took the concept of the “crime is fine for a limited time” concept and seemingly ended the “limited time” part, little has been heard from the series. However, it appears that the previously in-development Purge 6 may be much closer to a reality. Franchise producer Brad Fuller recently told Comicbook.com that he is working with Purge creator James DeMonaco, who is currently dealing with the script, and that he may also direct the next film with a familiar star attached. Fuller said…

The Purge movies are dumb, and I’ve always felt like they really didn’t take advantage of their premise as well as they could. That said, The Purge movies always have the potential of being entertaining, and the two films that included Frank Grillo are among the series’ best. So this apparent confirmation that he'll be back is great news.

The Purge movies have largely been a sort of anthology, with different films taking place during different Purge events and following different characters. However, Frank Grillo appeared in two consecutive films, subtitled Anarchy and Election Year, where he played one of the few “hero” characters the movies even have. The first film saw Grillo as a man who wanted to use The Purge as cover to kill a man responsible for the death of his son. It was basically his audition to play The Punisher.

It had previously been indicated that Grillo would be back in the next Purge movie. A couple of years ago, DeMonaco talked about the world the new Purge movie would be set in, where the United States has ceased to exist and the remaining people have broken up into cultural factions.

While Brad Fuller’s comments certainly don’t make it sound like there are plans to start shooting The Purge 6 in the short term, so don’t expect to see it join the 2026 movie schedule, it does at least sound like this is a project that’s in active development, and that the people involved are trying to make happen. Bring on The Purge.

Readers, it’s time to Purge once more, as The Forever Purge brings the series that saw an alternate America legalize all crime for one night back to theaters. The supposedly final chapter in Blumhouse’s hit franchise, The Purge movies kind of have the same issue that the Fast and Furious movies do. When it comes to watching the films in order, it’s not a totally straightforward enterprise to know what order to watch them in.

Of course, if you’re going to make your way through the history of the New Founding Fathers of America and the holiday they created, you have two options. You can either watch the films in the order they were released, or you can watch The Purge unfold in chronological order. No matter which way you decide to enjoy the franchise, we’re about to hand you the guide that’ll lay it all out on the line. Let’s start with how most of the world enjoyed their first Purge experience: in order of release date.

The Purge Movies By Release Date Order

With The Purge becoming an unexpected hit in 2013, another Blumhouse success story was born. From that point, four theatrical sequels were produced, running up to this summer’s debut of The Forever Purge. So if you want to watch the series as it was released, here’s the order you should use:

Of course, hindsight is 20/20; and The Forever Purge is a theatrical release. So if you want to be sure you’re caught up before you head out to a theater near you, you’re going to want to watch the movies in chronological order. In which case, this next list is for you.

The Purge Movies, In Chronological Story Order

The thing about the Purge movies is that most of them involve different stories and characters than the others, which means it's mainly the world in which the films are set that remains the same. With almost a decade of Purge movies, and roughly double that many years covered in the history presented in the franchise, chronological story order is key. If you want to get a straight and narrow telling of how the annual Purge got off the ground, you’re going to have to start at the beginning. Luckily enough, the first movie in The Purge series is easy enough to spot.

The First Purge

Kicking off the story of The Purge franchise in the year 2017, The First Purge shows us the first execution of the “NFFA Social Experiment.” Taking place over the usual 12 hour period, but limited to Staten Island, the night that led to The Purge and all of its sequels is on full display. The rules are a bit different, but the ruthless heart of this dark satirical thriller is still there. Not to mention, the true history of Purge Night’s dark origins are revealed, with the consequences set to reverberate over the course of nearly two decades.

The Purge

Moving into the future of the franchise, The Purge brings us to the fifth annual Purge in 2022. Purge Night is now a nationally established tradition, with the New Founding Fathers of America being able to claim low unemployment and no crime rate, thanks to one night where America releases the beast. The Purge is also notable for introducing us to “The Bloody Stranger” (Edwin Hodge), a man who would eventually serve a greater purpose in this reborn nation. And it won't take long to see the results, as this stranger reappears in the next film in line.

The Purge: Anarchy

One year after The Purge, another Purge Night is up and running in The Purge: Anarchy. The mythos of this alternate America grows with the sixth annual Purge, and 2023 introduces the anti-Purge movement that’s grown in the year. Key characters that are introduced in the third Purge film are would-be purger Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) and Carmelo Johns (Michael K. Williams,) the leader of the anti-Purge resistance. Also returning is Dante Bishop, still known as “The Stranger,” another player in the forces that are trying to derail the NFFA’s power structure.

The Purge: Election Year

Brace yourselves, because The Purge series jumps pretty far ahead into the future. The Purge: Election Year zooms to the year 2040, as Leo Barnes is now a Secret Service agent protecting presidential hopeful Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell). For the first time, the Purge Night restriction that kept politicians of a certain level of status safe has been revoked, leaving Senator Roan and Leo to survive the night. Lucky for them, Dante Bishop and Carmelo Johns are still in play; with Johns only being mentioned in this installment.

The Forever Purge

Originally, The Forever Purge was meant to be the final brick in the wall of this franchise. Set in the aftermath of The Purge: Election Year, the year 2041 sees an America where the Purge has supposedly been rejected by the government. Of course, there’s a chance that it’s been reinstituted, or at least that seems to be the goal of the new batch of crazies that want to make sure America lives up to the film’s title. These cowpokes want to Purge forever, and they’ll do anything they can to make sure they have the right.

Should The Purge continue after The Forever Purge’s release, there will probably be a bunch of new history to learn, and more pieces involved in this crazy game. But for now, if you want to catch up or brush up on your alternate American history, you’ve got the tools to do just that. Your Purge experience awaits, as the whole theatrical franchise is available to stream (check out our Purge movies streaming guide), as well as its two season TV series. And you can read up on the basics of how Purge Night works here.Happy Purge viewing, dear readers!

Through almost a decade of The Purge movies existing in the pop culture landscape, the concept of Purge Night has expanded with each installment. It’s all led to the last hurrah for the blockbuster Blumhouse franchise, as The Forever Purge is the final film in The Purge franchise. But before we head out for that final round of purging and purifying, it’s a good time to run through the rules and history of Purge Night. So secure your surroundings, pick out your favorite mask, and water your blue Baptisias, as we’re going to run through how the whole thing works, as revealed throughout the movies, and why it even exists in the first place.

How Was The Purge Invented, And By Whom?

The New Founding Fathers of America, partnered with Dr. May Updale (Marisa Tomei), created The Purge as a sort of release valve for the pressures felt by America. The NFFA meant to use The Purge’s central holiday for two reasons. On its face, people participate in The Purge as an outlet to release their anxieties and the pressure of a crumbling society.

However, as we saw in The First Purge, the New Founding Fathers of America really wanted to use this as a method of “depopulating the lower class,” and relieving the economic and societal burden on the more affluent voters that put them into power. But as time marched on, the structure and even some of the rules of The Purge are rescinded, or just outright broken. And eventually, the rich would start targeting their fellow rich people for shallow or sadistic reasons.

When Was The First Purge?

March 21, 2016, was the date of The First Purge; as it would have to at least predate the footage shown during The Purge’s opening credits by a year. After the New Founding Fathers of America saw their first presidential candidate elected into office, a pilot program was hatched and tested in Staten Island. What was once called “The NFFA Social Experiment” became the national phenomenon known as The Purge, and after its first night of testing, the results were promising enough for a nationwide expansion.

Of course, seeing as the NFFA hired roving bands of mercenaries to stoke the fires, as well as flooded the streets with weapons, the validity of those results could be severely called into question. The truth doesn’t matter though, as by the time The First Purge concludes, the New Founding Fathers of America had the PR tools they needed to legalize The Purge on a national level. America was about to become a nation reborn, as the ratification of the 28th Amendment would secure a new tradition.

When Does Purge Night Happen?

If you want to mark down the night to stay inside and lock the doors, March 21st into March 22nd is the night of the Annual Purge. The bad news is, even if you want to stay inside and barricade your house like the Sandin family did in The Purge, that’s not a guarantee. The good news is, the annual Purge is only allowed during a specified window of time.

A 12-hour window, between 7 PM and 7 AM is given to all who want to purge and purify their little corner of the United States of America. During this window, all emergency services are suspended, so if something catches on fire, or if you’re injured, the typical infrastructure you depend on for assistance is not available. Though, as we saw in The Purge: Election Year, there are some amateur ambulance crews that rove the streets to help those in need.

What Crimes Are Allowed On Purge Night?

What type of crime are you really interested in? On Purge Night, the commencement address that kicks things off says it all, as it stipulates that “all crime, including murder, is legal.” So if you want to rob an ATM, do your drug of choice, or the garden variety favorite of murder, it’s all on the table in the alternate version of the United States.

Just make sure you keep it all in that 12 hour window, and try not to piss off friends, family, neighbors, and those close enough to you to hold a grudge. You never know what the year in-between Purges will inspire, like that time The Purge saw the Sandin family targeted by their jealous neighbors. Surprisingly enough, there are some restrictions on the typical Purge Night plans.

What’s Not Allowed On Purge Night?

There’s still some regulations that are present during Purge Night, so don’t think that anything goes. Up until 2040’s annual Purge in The Purge: Election Year, “government officials of ranking 10” were protected from The Purge. Though the NFFA, in their bid to eliminate their popular opponent Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), removed that little caveat. Though it’s a safe bet that even if you tried to assassinate the sitting NFFA president that night, you’d probably be punished.

Also, “weapons of class 4 and lower” are cleared for usage on Purge Night. Only Class 5 weapons are outlawed, and seeing as those include explosives, and presumably any other weapon of mass destruction, the carnage can be kept nice and personal. Though, back in The First Purge, explosives and incendiary devices weren’t as taboo as they would eventually become. By the way, if you break any of the rules of Purge Night, the penalty is death by hanging.

Why Do People Participate In Purge Night?

If you ask someone holding the party line for the New Founding Fathers of America, Purge Night is supposed to be a spiritual and sociological cleansing. Theoretically, one night of unbridled violence and lawlessness is supposed to contain the country’s destructive tendencies. By the time the annual Purge is over, the catharsis is supposed to relieve the nation of its fears, and the economy usually sees a bit of a boost because of all the Purge prep. Apparently, you don’t get to 0% unemployment merely through creating jobs.

Though we’ve seen more personal reasons override the altruistic claims the NFFA likes to throw into the wind. The Purge: Anarchy saw Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) looking to get revenge in the name of family tragedy; and in The Purge: Election Year, the concept of “murder tourists” was introduced. Some people Purge because they’ve got an axe to grind, while others will travel to simply do it because they can.

What’s Going On With The Forever Purge?

While we’re not going to spoil the adventures that await in The Forever Purge, the film’s basic concept is the somewhat logical endpoint of this long standing American tradition. After The Purge: Election Year saw the holiday cancelled by President-Elect Charlie Roan, the New Founding Fathers of America’s supporters rioted. Now, in the fifth and final installment of The Purge series, it looks like those who believe in the cause are going to Purge, whether it’s legal or not; and the action won’t be limited to a 12 hour window.

And that is all you need to know about Purge Night! A dark satire aimed squarely at the fears of our modern society, all hell looks like it’s about to break loose with The Forever Purge’s addition to the mythos. You can catch the results for yourself, as the film opens in theaters this Friday; though if you want a quick refresher, check out our guide on how you can catch The Purge movies streaming.

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Social commentary in the horror genre is at an all-time high in prevalence and popularity, especially with the success of the technophobic Black Mirror on Netflix and the racially and economically conscious films of Academy Award winner Jordan Peele to name a few. However, not many horror movies have been as brutally honest (emphasis on “brutal”) with their message as the franchise created by James DeMonaco, which envisions a seemingly utopian future thanks to one night a year in which all crime is legal. Before we see the rules change with The Forever Purge, coming to theaters Friday, July 2, 2021, let’s review the history of this fictional national holiday by checking out where to find the Purge movies on streaming, available to rent, or purchase on a physical copy, starting with the thriller that started it all.

The Purge (2013)

In 2022 (dang, that’s close), salesman James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) is confident he, his wife, Mary (Game of Thrones cast member Lena Headey), and two children, Zoey (Adelaide Kane) and Charlie (Max Burkholder), will be safe from tonight’s federally instituted, 12-hour period of lawlessness with the home security system he has, unsurprisingly, made a fortune off of. However, soon after the chaos commences, Charlie allows a desperate stranger (Edwin Hodge, older brother of Aldis) into their home and the family becomes targeted by a group of malicious, yet cunningly polite, masked invaders.

Writer and director James DeMonaco unleashed his vision of a violence-obsessed country with this first installment that proved to be yet another big hit for Blumhouse. A politically-driven reinvention of the home invasion thriller subgenre, The Purge - streaming now on Peacock - was only a small glimpse of the anarchy the franchise had in store.

Stream The Purge on Peacock.

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The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

In 2023, a grieving police sergeant (Frank Grillo) intends to take advantage of tonight’s 12-hour period of lawlessness by seeking revenge on the man who killed his son. However, soon after the chaos commences, he takes on the responsibility of guiding a waitress (Carmen Ejogo), her daughter (Zoë Soul), and a soon-to-be divorced couple (Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez) to safety after they are randomly selected as targets by the sociopaths wreaking governmentally accepted havoc.

While 2013’s The Purge provided audiences with a small window of the annual night’s horrifying circumstances from the perspective of one family forced into seclusion, this indirect sequel puts you right in the middle of the action, from the perspective of people desperately seeking refuge. Released just one year after its predecessor, The Purge: Anarchy - streaming on Peacock as well - also proved Frank Grillo’s worth as leading man soon after the Marvel movies showed his worth as a villain.

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The Purge: Election Year (2016)

Former police sergeant Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) now is the head of security for presidential candidate Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) who believes said 12-hour period of lawlessness does more harm than good. Soon after the chaos commences, Barnes’ job to protect Roan becomes a more urgent matter when a betrayal leaves them stranded on the streets of D.C. where citizens are exercising their right to go mad.

After depicting the horrors of the Purge in its purest and most graphic form in The Purge Anarchy, James DeMonaco ups the ante with what was the franchise’s most overtly political installment yet. Released during a real and highly polarizing election year (which I doubt was by accident), The Purge: Election Year is not available on subscription streaming platforms, but can be rented on VOD - could have been a perfectly satisfying conclusion to the carnage but, just like in real life, the chaos never really ends.

Rent The Purge: Election Year on Amazon.

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The First Purge (2018)

In the alarmingly not-too-distant future, a recently developed political party called the New Founding Fathers of America comes up with an idea they believe could help rid the world of financial upheaval and violent unrest. They decide to conduct an experiment by turning Staten Island into a completely lawless state for 12-hours and offer a $5,000 reward to anyone brave enough to participate.

Having seemingly completed his vision in a trilogy that concluded with The Purge: Election Year, James DeMonaco returned to pen a fourth film that explains how and why America decided to succumb to its violent tendencies (and give its love of twisted cosplay a shot). Gerard McMurray, a producer for Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, takes over as the director of The First Purge - a prequel that effectively builds on the franchises’ penchant for exposing the ills of society through means of graphic exploitation and is also only available to stream through digital rental.

Rent The First Purge on Amazon.

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The Purge (The Series) (2018-2019)

The world has grown accustomed to the annual tradition of allowing the American people the freedom to commit whatever crime they want once each year. This year, a group of disparate, unrelated people endure the horrors of the 12-hour period in their own ways, whether that means to avoid becoming the prey or become a predator.

In the same year in which The First Purge was released, creator James DeMonaco continued to expand on the anarchic world he created with this TV series spin-off of the Purge movies, which lasted two seasons on USA. While the film franchise focuses more prominently on the violence that inevitably ensues on Purge night, the show - which is streaming on Hulu or available on Peacock for premium subscribers - draws attention to other common restrictions people might be tempted to take advantage of, such as theft, to name one.

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The latest installment, The Forever Purge, is one of the most anticipated 2021 new movie releases, especially for the horror-loving crowd. I, for one, am curious how director Everardo Gout’s sequel, which sees Purgers attempting to exercise their freedoms beyond the allowed 12-hour period, will tackle social issues and if it could even improve upon its predecessors. However, which installment of the Purge franchise (including the TV series) do you believe is the strongest so far?

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Only four couples remain on Season 29 of Dancing with the Stars and only one strutting celebrity will be named the latest victor. Any of them have a chance at the ultimate prize in the upcoming final round, but if Justina Machado wins, at 48 years old, she would become the oldest champion in the popular reality competition’s history.

The Latina Chicago native actually did take dance years earlier at the Franklin Fine Arts Center in her youth. Yet, what made Justina Machado a star worthy of becoming a participant on the hit ABC show was acting, which she has done since she made her debut in a 1993 after-school special. Her acting credits have since piled up immensely, along with her popularity.

However, for the few Dancing with the Stars obsessives who may have been struggling to recall where they recognize their new favorite contestant from, allow us to help. The following are 11 of Justina Machado’s more notable roles, starting with the sitcom that gave her a big step toward household name status.

One Day At A Time (2017 - Present)

In this modernized update of the classic 1970s sitcom (more by title than anything else), Justina Machado plays a divorced nurse and military veteran raising her teenage daughter (Isabella Gomez) and younger son (Marcel Ruiz) with unwanted help from her mother (Rita Moreno) and manager of her apartment building (Todd Grinnell). While Netflix has been known for reviving cancelled shows, the platform actually kicked One Day at a Time, despite critical and audience acclaim, after three seasons before it was picked up by Pop, the cable network that Emmy-winner Schitt’s Creek once called home.

Final Destination 2 (2003)

Speaking of tragic endings, one of Justina Machado’s earlier major motion picture roles was in the sequel to the 2000 slasher that made a villain out of Death itself. The new doomed ensemble cast of Final Destination 2 believes that the unborn child of her pregnant character, Isabella Hudson, may be the key to cheating fate.

Six Feet Under (2001-2005)

Speaking of fate, death was actually a major theme of this acclaimed HBO dramedy about a family running a Los Angeles funeral home. Justina Machado’s role on Six Feet Under as Vanessa Diaz, wife of Fisher & Sons’ restorative assistant Rico Diaz (Freddy Rodriguez), is just one of the many times she has played a nurse on TV and one of three on this list alone.

Torque (2004)

Justina Machado has also played a few members of law enforcement in her day, like Torque - an attempt to capitalize on the early success of The Fast and the Furious, but with motorcycles. She plays Henderson, an FBI agent investigating the murder of a feared biker gang leader’s (Ice Cube) brother with her partner Jay McPherson (played by a pre-stardom Adam Scott).

Bones (2010)

She also once played the suspect of an FBI investigation in a Season 6 episode of Bones in which Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) look into the deaths of a pair of male and female corpses found in a national park. Justina Machado turns on the sass in “The Couple in the Cave” as Lupe Rojas, who turns out to be the ex-girlfriend of the male corpse, who apparently left her for the female he was found with.

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

Justina Machado would actually end up a (SPOILER ALERT) victim of murder in yet another starring role in the second chapter of a popular horror movie franchise. However, there was no investigation into the death of her character, Tanya, because, in the world of The Purge: Anarchy, her sister Lorraine (Roberta Valderrama) was able to legally shoot and kill her for sleeping with her husband behind her back.

Private Practice (2012-2013)

As Shonda Rhimes fans know, there is always plenty of sleeping around among the staff of St. Ambrose Hospital - the setting of her hit medical drama Private Practice. As Stephanie Kemp, Justina Machado (in her third time playing a nurse that we have listed here) had a love connection of her own on the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off with Taye Diggs’ character, Dr. Sam Bennett.

Pedro (2008)

Romance was also a major theme, but more tragically so, of this MTV original movie based on the life of Cuban-American Pedro Zamora - who became famous as an openly gay and HIV-positive cast member of reality series The Real World before his death in 1994. Justina Machado plays Mily Zamora, the sister of Pedro, played by Alex Loynaz.

Jane The Virgin (2016-2019)

Alex Loynaz also made a couple of appearances on the first season of Jane the Virgin, in which the titular devoutly religious Latina waitress (Gina Rodriguez) discovers she was artificially inseminated by accident. Justina Machado would become a recurring cast member on the hit CW dramedy in Season 3 as the no-nonsense Darci Factor - whose own matchmaking service led to her strike up a relationship with Jane’s previously estranged father, telenovela star Rogelio De La Vega (Jaime Camil).

Gears Of War 4 (2016)

Justina Machado has also lent her voice to many animated characters, the most famous of which might be Reyna Diaz - a natural-born hybrid of human DNA with that of the enemy alien race called Locusts. She first appeared in Gears of War 4 - the fifth installment of the popular video game franchise for Xbox set during the aftermath of an alien apocalypse - and again in 2019’s Gears 5.

Elena Of Avalor (2016-2020)

One of Justina Machado’s most consistent voice roles was on Elena of Avalor, a Disney Channel original animated series about a Latina princess played by Aimee Carerro. She voices the recurring role of Carmen, the granddaughter of a ghostly spirit who requests Princess Elena’s help on a special episode set on Dia de los Muertos.

What do you think? Will you be rooting for Justina Machado in the Dancing with the Stars finals, or will you still be proud of her past accomplishments as a Latina actress even if she does not become the new champion? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the multi-talented Puerto Rican star, as well as even more inside looks into the resumes of your favorite celebrities, here on CinemaBlend.

This year, the annual (or, more accurately, biennial) Purge ceremonies were delayed. While we were initially set to receive our fifth (and supposedly final) installment in the Blumhouse horror series earlier this summer, The Forever Purge was one of several films pushed back to 2021. Though it's not surprising, the news still came as a disappointment for fans. Over the course of the past seven-plus years, the Purge films have built a loyal audience, resulting in one of the more consistently successful (at least, financially speaking) movie/show franchises of the past decade.

Though fans will have to wait to see how the filmmakers wrap up this dystopian American series, we can use this time to reflect back on the previous Purge movies and rank them from worst to best. Our opinions might not mirror yours, but here's what we think.

4. The First Purge (2018)

Prequels are tough. While they can be worthwhile ways to establish world-building and bring clarity to later installments, it's hard to keep the audience invested when they know the outcome. With The First Purge, it's intriguing to learn — from a political standpoint — how the first Purge was put into motion. Even though it eliminates some of the mystique, it also brings some interesting commentary on how the U.S. government can mistreat the poor and disenfranchised, particularly in larger cities like, in this case, Staten Island. But it's hard to ignore how listless this prequel is when you compare it to the past few installments. While it offers insight into the foundation of this annual crime-filled tradition, it ironically doesn't bring anything new to the table, resulting in an underwhelming and unorigina retread that comes with a predictable and therefore dull conclusion.

The First Purge is notable for being the only Purge chapter (to date) that's written but not directed by James DeMonaco – the creator of the franchise. In my opinion, this is a mistake. While his ideas laid down the groundwork for every installment in The Purge series, he's been a demonstrably better director than screenwriter. Typically, these films get bundled whenever their blunt, occasionally artless thematics get in the way of their entertainment value. That's sadly the case here, too. While the filmmakers offer key insight for the nationwide introduction of The Purge, the movie itself lacks the thrills and engagement that are more often found in the other installments. Like every Purge story, there's great potential in The First Purge. Unfortunately, this prequel is disappointingly squandered by lackluster ambitions, despite its strong cast and intriguing thoughtfulness. Also, the complete waste of Marisa Tomei's time and talents? Unforgivable.

3. The Purge (2013)

When examining this horror series as a whole, The Purge deserves credit for laying the foundations of the franchise. It establishes the rules, introduces us to the state of this alternative America, and it gives us an intriguingly focused, commendably economical (in terms of its low-budget approach) gateway into this broad-reaching futuristic dystopian premise. Unfortunately, there isn't much that The Purge does better than the sequels that followed. The writing is clunky, which is an unfortunately common problem in every Purge movie, and the direction isn't as confident as what's featured in the follow-ups. Additionally, the considerably wealthy family we follow in this introductory film isn't the most relatable, likable, or endearing batch of protagonists. Their closed off, bunkered down perspective also isn't especially engaging or illuminating for what our country would look like if the Purge ravaged the land for one lawless night.

With all that said, Ethan Hawke's patriarchal performance does go a long way here. Especially in an expanding franchise where the acting isn't always the greatest asset, minus some notable exceptions (and we'll talk about more in a bit), Hawke's grounded investment and dramatic gravitas helps to sell the urgency of this concept-heavy premise —particularly in a low-budget horror-thriller that's expansive conceptually but limited in its filmmaking. Plus, there's something admirable about the simplicity of its home invasion-style narrative. While it's not especially noteworthy in terms of filmmaking, in this ever-growing canon it does a solid job of building a sense of danger and dread about the dangerous, unknowable personalities lurking outside of our main characters' walls, doors, and windows. Additionally, Rhys Wakefield's toothy villainous performance is consistently menacing throughout. But as we've noted before, the concept itself is ultimately more enticing and promising than what we're given in this introductory movie.

2. The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

With an expanded budget and broader scope, The Purge: Anarchy took criticisms from the profitable (albeit not critically acclaimed) original movie to heart and allowed itself to explore its world and play with genre and tone. The results were a sequel that's stronger than its predecessor, benefited by a more robust story, more rewarding characters, more thrilling and suspenseful sequences, and, as an added bonus, a better sense of humor to boot. But what really makes The Purge: Anarchy stand out compared to the original is the addition of Frank Grillo as a flawed-but-investing action hero wrestling inside a nation indulging in its worst impulses. While Ethan Hawke did a lot of the heavy lifting in the previous Purge, Grillo's leading man presence brings a greater sense of purpose to the larger vision. His character's desire for redemption helps the franchise itself grow.

Additionally, while James DeMonaco's work as a screenwriter still leaves something to be desired, he has notably improved as a director — complete with a surprisingly pretty graceful transition into a bigger canvas with some striking visuals, more inspired costumes and masks, and an admirable handle on the action set pieces throughout this L.A.-based continuation. While certainly not flawless, much like our hard exterior lead character, there's a clear desire to expand and improve, and it's certainly an advancement. While Anarchy doesn't feel like the definitive Purge film, its sense of assurance and its room for experimentation makes it more noteworthy than other sequels that often settle into their grooves following their initial success. Anarchy is eager to use this higher-budget sequel as a launching pad for its loftier ambitions, particularly with its world/character-building and its expansion on the original's themes. Overall, this sequel was a step in the right direction.

1. The Purge: Election Year (2016)

As you'd expect from the title, The Purge: Election Year is the most explicitly political Purge story, which might've turned some viewers off. Though it can be ham-fisted in terms of its proclamations, this third installment in The Purge trilogy is easily the best. Taking the elements that worked in the previous film while also providing more of a sociopolitical punch, Election Year is a pointed and unabashedly critical sequel with arguably the strongest cast in the franchise, while also providing a conclusiveness to this story that will likely be undermined (in some fashion or another) by the next Purge movie. Nevertheless, Election Year is James DeMonaco at his most confident work as a screenwriter and director in the series, providing a number of memorable set pieces, striking imagery, engaging characters, and greater dramatic stakes.

It also helps that The Purge: Election Year is the most entertaining installment in The Purge canon. Balancing the horror and the action elements found in the first and second installments, respectively, this genre-mixing feels like a natural elevation for the franchise and it gives it a bit of a John Carpenter feel in the right moments. Certainly, Escape From New York was a big influence on this series — this one probably more so than any other Purge movie to date. Once again expanding on the themes found in all of these narratives, Election Year avoids any sense of ambiguity as far as what it's aiming to say, making it easily the most scathing, unrestrained Purge chapter — particularly in its critical view of the ruling class. While it's not without its own flaws, this is the best one yet.

Which is your favorite Purge movie? Please let us know in the poll and comment section below!

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The past few years have been pretty great ones in regards to the horror genre. Exciting new franchises and standalone movies are being produced that don't rely on the common tropes of the past. In regards to franchises, few modern horror films have been quite as original and exciting as The Purge franchise. Set in the not so distant future, The Purge is an anthology series which focuses on a United States which allows all forms of crime, including murder, once a year. This "purge" apparently cleanses the fire from within, making way for a more utopian country where unemployment and crime are at an all time low.

Actor Frank Grillo has starred in the past two Purge movies, making him essentially the series star. Many assumed that Grillo would be back for the next inevitable installment, but now it appears he might not. Grillo recently spoke to Collider, where he revealed he may not be returning to the franchise.

Frank Grillo is referring to James DeMonaco, who is basically the guy behind the entire Purge franchise. DeMonaco created the brand as a whole, and has also written and directed all three installments to date. But with DeMonaco hinting that he wants less involvement moving forward, Grillo might want to jump ship.

While I've enjoyed seeing Frank Grillo kick ass and take names in The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year, I'm not sure the franchise really needs his character to return. While his first appearance featured an important arc regarding forgiveness and perseverance, the third movie was not really about him. Sure, he was technically the "star" and spent the movie protecting Elizabeth Mitchell's Charlie Roan around on Purge Night, but Grillo's character didn't really grow or change at all. He's the same ass kicker, but with a better job.

In the same conversation with Collider, Frank Grillo revealed that he was originally thrilled to be starring in a franchise of his own. And while latest installment, The Purge: Election Year, was the biggest and most successful, Grillo isn't sure if he wanted to participate in a third movie. He supports the franchise and wants it to continue, he's just not sure if he'd like to personally commit.

But all hope is not lost. Frank Grillo revealed that he may return if James DeMonaco is once again involved, and creates a great script. So while it's likely that DeMonaco isn't directing the fourth film, if he ends up writing it then Grillo just may stick around.

Stay here with CinemaBlend for updates on The Purge franchise, which may or may not include Frank Grillo.

The Purge movies have each given us a different look into what goes on during the franchise's famous Purge Night -- where for 12 hours just about all crime is perfectly legal in the United States. Through three movies, we've seen the home invasion of a rich family's mansion, terror combing the streets of a city, and an attempted assassination of a politician. And yet the truth of the matter is that there are many scenarios and locations that would be fascinating to see unfold within the fictional universe on the big screen. A perfect example of this is what goes down in prisons -- which series creator James DeMonaco says could very well be its own film someday.

With The Purge: Election Year arriving on Blu-ray and DVD this past week, I recently had the chance to chat with James DeMonaco over the phone, and I dedicated part of my interview to questions about what goes on in particular areas of the Purge universe. Thus far, we've written about his ideas concerning hospitals and air travel, but his thoughts about what goes on inside prisons will get the blood pumping in any horror fans' veins. Said the writer/director,

It's not terribly hard to picture, is it? On Purge Night, all of the guards surround the building and protect the exits, and when the time arrives for the Purge to begin, the doors of all the cells open automatically, and violence comes spilling out. Surely there will be some prisoners who try to abstain from the bloodshed and hide from the more murderous folks walking around (your potential protagonists in the narrative of a feature), but it's hard to imagine any of these guys being able to last very long.

On beyond just being a perfect scenario for a horror movie, the idea of a Purge film set inside a prison also provides incredible opportunity for political commentary -- which is a huge part of the franchise. When you factor in statistics for our nation's prisons, the scenario is extremely easy to fit into the larger series themes about class disparity, and inmates fighting back against the system on Purge Night is great material for a story.

There is one lingering question about this scenario that I sadly didn't get to ask James DeMonaco: exactly how populated are prisons in the Purge universe? One has to wonder both because the number would surely decrease after each annual Purge Night, but also because the number of people in jail would also speak to the effectiveness of Purge Night and whether or not it actually does bring crime down 364 ½ days out of the year. I guess making a movie about the situation would be an opportunity to address this query.

We don't know when we might get to see a prison-set Purge movie -- but the future is certainly bright for the franchise. In addition to The Purge: Election Year just recently landing on home video, James DeMonaco also confirmed to us the development of The Purge 4 and a television series. Stay tuned for more news on all of those fronts, as well as stories from my interview with the filmmaker!

Earlier, some of you may have read my article about exactly what happens at hospitals during Purge Night -- answering a question that I have had about the horror franchise since it began back in 2013. It was one of many that I recently had the chance to discuss with series creator James DeMonaco, and now it's time to talk about another aspect of the interesting world: air travel on Purge Night.

What happens to airplanes during the 12-hour time period in the Purge universe where just about all crime is legal? Are they still functioning normally, or are special restrictions put in place as a defense against serious attack? I posed these questions to DeMonaco during a phone interview late last week, and he explained that not only is air travel shut down, but that basically any form of major public transportation is put to a halt. Said the writer/director,

Continuing his line of thinking, I asked if America essentially became a 3000-mile wide No Fly Zone -- and James DeMonaco told me that's the best way to put it:

That bit about people wanting to come is a reference to a new little fictional world detail that's introduced in The Purge: Election Year: Murder Tourism. It turns out that there are people who actually fly into America just for the opportunity to express some rage and kill random people. Apparently they all needed to be settled into the country a bit in advance of Purge Night, however, per these new rules laid down by James DeMonaco.

It's not hard to understand why shutting down air travel over the United States during Purge Night is a good idea. For starters, airports tend to be populated places, and during the Purge that would mean that they would house a ridiculous amount of death each year, and it's hard to imagine governments wanting to pay for the cleanup. Furthermore, violence at 30,000 feet is a recipe for chaos, and it ultimately wouldn't further the agenda of the New Founding Fathers Of America.

Hopefully this is another Purge mystery solved for you fans... and the good news is that we have more to come. Stay tuned for more interesting new information about the Purge universe from my interview with James DeMonaco, and pick up your copy of The Purge: Election Year on Blu-ray and DVD today.

One of the cool things about the developing Purge television series is that it will provide the opportunity to answer a lot of questions about the fictional universe in which the movies are set. After all, there's only so much that can be shown in a low-budget, 90-minute feature -- and while The Purge, The Purge: Anarchy, and The Purge: Election Year have all given us specific looks into the world, there are still many things we don't know. A perfect example: if all emergency services are suspended, what exactly happens at hospitals? For those who have spent time questioning this, we now have an answer, courtesy of franchise creator James DeMonaco.

With The Purge: Election Year arriving on Blu-ray and DVD this week, I had the pleasure of recently interviewing James DeMonaco over the phone -- and I immediately took the opportunity to dive into geeky in-universe questions. Fortunately, DeMonaco was more than happy to explain his thoughts on the various details, including what happens in hospitals during the 12-hour annual holiday known as Purge Night. Said the filmmaker,

Picturing this in my head as he was describing it, I imagined that these buildings would need serious protection from the outside world, and essentially be fortified establishments that keep everything going on inside the building safe from the events of Purge Night. James DeMonaco agreed, saying, "Exactly."

While this definitely is an interesting idea, one could also see how it might be exploited -- with people seriously injuring themselves just for a hospital stay on Purge Night. While it's possible that hospitals are ridiculously massive just as a result of this, the more depressing reality is that the services could only available for high prices that most people can't afford -- which would fit rather nicely into the series' larger themes about class warfare.

Does this fit with what you've theorized about hospitals in the Purge universe, or did you think that they functioned differently? Hit the comments section below with your thoughts -- and stay tuned for more from my interview with James DeMonaco -- including answers to what's going down in prisons, and what's happening with air travel!

In the last three years, The Purge movies have proven to be a big, growing success on the silver screen. Each film --written and directed by James DeMonaco -- has managed to do better at the box office than its predecessor, and as a result the future of the series is quite bright. In fact, not only will we still see more movies in the future, but now a Purge television series is in active development.

With The Purge: Election Year arriving on Blu-ray and DVD next week, I had the pleasure of hopping on the phone with James DeMonaco for a one-on-one interview this morning, and it was during our conversation that he revealed the exciting news of the in-the-works Purge show. While discussing the franchise's high-concept idea and its surprising flexibility from a narrative perspective, I asked the writer/director if there was a chance of potentially seeing a television series in the future, and he enthusiastically responded in the affirmative. Said DeMonaco,

James DeMonaco went on to note that his ideal format for the show is more oriented for cable, describing it as playing out over the course of 10 hours (presumably meaning 10 episodes). Explaining why he felt that television was a good fit, the Purge mastermind said that having that much runtime versus 90 minutes would allow him to really dig inside the mind of a "purger" and let audiences really see what is driving them to kill on Purge Night. Said DeMonaco,

Perhaps even more exciting than all of these details about the Purge television series is the fact that it may not be a long time before we actually find ourselves watching it. Given the clear amount of thought that has gone into the project, I asked James DeMonaco about the status of the show and if we could see even see it in the next year, and he told me that things are indeed moving quickly in development:

This is obviously extremely exciting news for fans of The Purge movies, and you can be sure that we will keep you up to date about more project details in the future. For now, stay tuned for a lot more great stuff from my interview with James DeMonaco, and pick up your copy of The Purge: Election Year on Blu-ray and DVD on October 4th.

One of the most fun parts of the summer months is summer blockbusters. And in addition to the bevy of superhero movies which are flying into theaters this summer, there are also some quality horror flicks that are sure to scare the crap out of audiences. The next horror movie that will jump scare moviegoers is the third entry of the Purge franchise, The Purge: Election Year.

While the third movie will expand the world we've come to know over the years, it's also important to look back to the last sequel in preparation. CinemaSins has done just that, and found a ton of problems you might have missed during the first view. Check it out.

While I really loved The Purge: Anarchy when I saw it in theaters, I can't argue with the inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and lack of logic during some of these moments. Then again, most horror movies are rife with this problem so perhaps I shouldn't beat myself up too badly. Let's explore the points that the folks at CinemaSins are so worked up about.

To start, it's clear that the character Liz is little more than a narrator for the audience. She is consistently a source for expositional dialogue, and is often asking questions that she certainly would know the answer to if she were fighting for her life. I barely noticed this upon first watching, but seeing all of her stupid lines compiled into this video really hammered home how useless she and Shane (Friday Night Lights actor Zach Gilford) were throughout the entirety of the movie. Except when they all pulled an Annie Oakley and blew up that car in the subway.

Additionally, this video really hammered in how terrible the characters were at attempting to survive the annual Purge. The group is super loud for people who don't want to be noticed by the scary gang following them around Los Angeles. Additionally, the group each make some seriously poor decisions that probably would have guaranteed their murder in normal circumstances. Liz and Shane decide to travel (and stop at a local grocery store) just minutes before the Purge commenced. Eva and Cali had a gun in their apartment but left it on the table, rather than carrying it around just in case. And Frank Grillo's Leo Barnes, while a total badass, traveled through the heart of LA when his target was in the burbs.

The Purge: Election Year does seem like possibly the best addition to the franchise yet. The third film will focus on the government systems that have been built to allow the annual kill-fest that is The Purge. When one Senator and Presidential frontrunner, played by Lost alum Elizabeth Mitchell, attempts to dismantle The Purge, her colleagues on Capitol Hill decide to use the night of chaos to take her out. Luckily Frank Grillo's character from Anarchy makes a reappearance as her head of security, and the two will presumably have a harrowing adventure together. Also returning to the franchise is Dwayne, The Stranger who starred in the first film, and made a cameo in Anarchy.

The Purge: Election Year will fire its way into theaters beginning July 1st, 2016. Just in time for The Fourth of July.

With a combined budget of $12 million, 2013’s low-budget dystopian home invasion flick The Purge, and 2014’s follow up, The Purge: Anarchy, made $200 million. With a franchise that profitable, The Purge 3 was always a certainty. What wasn’t always so sure was the direction of the sequel, though one big addition forced the production to drastically change directions.

Frank Grillo starred in The Purge: Anarchy, though his participation in The Purge 3 wasn’t a given. Just last week, Universal announced that he will be back for more. It was an unexpected move—they didn’t even have a script featuring his Sergeant character—and talking to Slashfilm, Grillo says writer/director James DeMonaco had to start over from scratch. He says:

Using the same lead character for two movies in a row is a bit of a departure for the young franchise. The first two movies are set in the same world, but revolve around different leads. In a near future, where all crime is legal for one night, because that apparently somehow leads to a drop in crime the rest of the year, The Purge is a relatively self-contained story about Ethan Hawke’s character, a well to do sort with a serious security system, trying to keep his family safe from invaders in their own home. It’s essentially a home invasion horror movie with a few sci-fi elements thrown in for good measure.

Set on the annual Purge night, The Purge: Anarchy takes the contained world of the first film and opens it up. Instead of a single family in the suburbs stuck in one place, it shows you the poor and working class in the inner city cope with the 12 hours of chaos. Grillo’s character, Sergeant, is on a mission, something he’s been preparing for. Grim, stoic, and near silent, not to mention heavily armed, he gets sidetracked helping some innocent people who get caught outside alone and ill-equipped to survive the night. A very different set up than the first film, Anarchy is a throwback to gritty, ‘70s era, exploitation-style B-movies, and Frank Grillo is a perfect fit.

While we don’t have any details on The Purge 3 at the moment, it will be interesting to see how they go about integrating Sergeant into the story. In Anarchy, he’s on a mission to kill the man responsible for the death of his son. Over the course of the night, he sees the error of his ways and the hollowness of revenge, or at least you think he does. Maybe he learned nothing and he’s going back for another shot. His story, at least in regards to the Purge night, feels done at the end of the movie, so I’m curious to see what they do with him next.

We’ll have to wait and speculate for a while, as The Purge 3 doesn’t open until July 1, 2016.

Sex Tape Blu-ray

Director Jake Kasdan follows up his raunchy but lesson-building movie Bad Teacher with another flick about adults behaving badly. In Sex Tape, a couple decides to spice up their love life by putting together the titular tape; however, things don’t go quite as planned. Jay (Jason Segel) and Annie (Cameron Diaz) don't really understand the cloud, leading to the tape getting uploaded for their family and friends to see. Ridiculous shenanigans ensue.

Like Bad Teacher, Sex Tape focuses a lot on the rapport between Diaz and Segel, who are both comedy pros. Despite this, they don't really sell well as a married couple with two adorable, likable children, although the addition of kids in the movie allows for some of the same sort of cheeky kid-based jokes that Adam Sandler also likes to employ in his films.

Segel and Diaz have great rapport, but they are given the tough task of acting upset and a little crazy over their sex tape. Because of this, Sex Tape is often better in moments spent with the rest of the cast, including Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper, Rob Lowe, Nat Faxon and an obnoxious middle schooler played by Harrison Holzer. Sex Tape isn’t the funniest comedy of 2014, but with few straight up comedies produced this year, it’s a suitable choice for date night. You can order Sex Tape over at Amazon.

Best Special Feature: The Deleted & Extended Scenes are pretty good, illuminating a few plotlines that had to be cut, including more scenes with the mailman after the sex tape was leaked, as well as a subplot featuring Nat Faxon and his in-office romance, as well as the retrieval of an additional iPad. It’s easy to see why the scenes were cut, but they are still worth a watch, as Faxon is the best part of the scenes, as usual.

Other Extras:

Bloopers

Deleted & Extended Scenes

Line-O-Rama

"Capturing the Moment"

"Romance Reboot with Dr. Jenn Berman"

"Meet Hank Rosenbaum"

Snowpiercer Blu-ray

Snowpiercer is a movie that is tough to box in and even tougher to define. It’s strangeness stems from the way the project came together to its final product, which is very different from most movies that earn decent enough budgets to also look incredible onscreen. The movie is based on a French graphic novel, has a Korean director and stars a slew of English and American actors, including one famous Marvel star. It’s built on oddities and mixtures, and on cultures clashing in a future that is bleak and dim.

Director Bong Joon-ho's first English language movie is set up 17 years after an ice age has cropped up thanks to a human experiment gone wrong (an animated extra on the disc goes into further detail about the Earth’s weather changes). While most of humanity has died, a slew of individuals are stuck on a train as the weather rages outside. It’s relatively safe for many of those on board, but in the back of the train, the lowly live, relying on protein blocks and the generosity of those up front, including the legendary Wilford (Ed Harris) and the militant Mason (Tilda Swinton) to live. It’s a status quo that makes many discontent, and leaders Curtis (Chris Evans) and Edgar (Jamie Bell) want to do something about it.

Though the flick wasn’t widely viewed in the US, Snowpiercer is one of the best Blu-ray purchases of the year. Anchor Bay Home Entertainment’s release looks great, especially during its action scenes, which include bullets piercing glass between train car and train car. There’s also a memorable scene shot with night vision glasses that is both graphic and elegant. Beyond the actual look and feel of the movie, Snowpiercer is jam-packed with extras for fans. You can order Snowpiercer over at Amazon.

Best Special Feature: The actual Blu-ray disc features critics commentary only, which isn’t much to write home about. However, there’s a separate disc filled with extras that will please cinephiles and action lovers alike. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but I’m personally a fan of learning the origins of movies and thus "Transperceneige: From The Blank Page to the Black Screen" was in my wheelhouse. It's also among the most informative bonus features on the disc. Keep in mind, it is filmed in French and it looks at the comic that was created in the eighties that informed Snowpiercer. It fits perfectly with the second extra, "The Birth of Snowpiercer," which explains in detail how Bong Joon-ho’s visuals were able to come together to create the abstract film.

Other Extras:

"The Characters"

Animated Prologue

Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton on Snowpiercer

"The Train Brought to Life: Behind The Scenes Of A Special Screening"

Concept Art

Other October 21 Releases

Just in time for Halloween, Universal Studios Home Entertainment is The Purge: Anarchy, the sequel to the hit 2013 flick The Purge. Anarchy is bolder and louder than its precursor, and its landing on Blu-ray just in time for the scariest holiday of the year. It’s good news, too, because Halloween actually lands on a Friday this year. You can order The Purge: Anarchy over at Amazon.

You can also check out some more of this week’s releases, below. Unless otherwise noted, sets are available on both Blu-ray and DVD.

Mad Men: The Final Season – Part 1

Earth To Echo

The Fluffy Movie: Extended Edition

Life After Beth

A Letter To Momo

Kundo

Duck Dynasty: Seasons 4-6 DVD

Blumhouse Productions hasn't yet announced The Purge 3. But with The Purge Anarchy earning better reviews from critics, and bigger box office than it's predecessor, a third installment in the dystopian horror franchise seems all but guaranteed. And now we have an idea of where the third movie might go, thanks to one of the stars of the last film.

Yesterday, I sat down with Michael K. Williams for his new film Kill The Messenger. Aside from that thriller, we talked his Marvel past, his Marvel ambitions, and what he has to look forward to in The Purge 3. When I asked if he was attached to the film, he nodded and added, "Yes, most definitely."

In The Purge: Anarchy, Williams played Carmelo Johns, an advocate against the annual event that spurs Americans to mayhem and murder one day a year. In pirate radio broadcasts, Johns declares that The Purge is actually a conspiracy of class warfare that allows the rich to openly prey on the poor. His claims became a bloody reality in the film's thrilling final act, where Johns comes out of the shadows to kick some ass.

"He was tons of fun," Williams said. "They set him up."

Set him up for what? Williams was reluctant to say.

It's unknown if a script is in place. But here's the direction we suspect The Purge 3 will take. The first two films set up a world where The Purge enables murder to occur without legal recourse. The first film centered on the rich essentially cannibalizing each other over petty aggressions. But The Purge: Anarchy took this murder spree premise to the streets of a big city, where the rich were hiring others to bring them victims for their blood lust. Or in some cases, the rich were sweeping buildings to make way for smoother gentrification.

Carmelo Johns was set up as the leader of the revolution against this kill-the-poor conspiracy. And with Michael K. Williams attached and eager for The Purge 3, we speculate Johns will play a central role in the film. Perhaps he'll reteam with Frank Grillo's bitter cop, who not only survived The Purge: Anarchy but won praise from critics and fans alike for his Dirty Harry-style portrayal. Could this mean The Purge 3 will follow the plot line of revolution?

With a premise as prime for violence as The Purge, there are a lot of possibilities for the third installment that has yet to be announced. But frankly, Blumhouse would be mad not to take advantage of the fan response to Grillo and William's hard-to-kill rebels.

Revisit the buzz of The Purge: Anarchy with this trailer:

We'll give you more on this story as it develops.

While you may not know the name Frank Grillo just yet, he’s making every effort to see that you eventually do. The veteran character actor has been acting in Hollywood since the early ‘90s, but is only now starting to see his career really start to take off. Earlier this year we saw him play villain Brock Rumlow in the super successful hit Captain America: The Winter Soldier, this weekend he is front and center in the new horror sequel The Purge: Anarchy, and soon he will be the star of his own series, Kingdom on FX. But this is only the beginning.

In promotion of The Purge: Anarchy, this past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Frank Grillo and talk all about not only his latest film, but also his ambitious goals for his future as an actor. He had a bunch of absolutely fascinating things to say, so start reading now!

Why Sergeant Doesn’t Have A Name And Why A Lot Of His Dialogue Was Cut

In The Purge: Anarchy, Frank Grillo’s Sergeant is what you might call a man of mystery (and I don’t mean in the globe-trotting spy sense). While we know that he is using the Purge night to some serious revenge, and that he has some trauma in his background, he is a character of very few words, and never even fully reveals his name. While you’d think this would be an extra hard challenge for an actor to wrap his head around, the reality is that Grillo fought to keep Sergeant in the shadows and as enigmatic as possible.

Talking about being a "pain in the ass" to writer/director James DeMonaco, constantly asking about his character and the larger world he lives in, Grillo explained that it was a mutual decision between him and the filmmaker to cut down on all the talking and leave his identity a secret to both the group of travelers he’s working with in the movie, and the audience.

"I ask ‘why?’ ‘why?’ ‘why?’ and he listened," Grillo told me. "We cut a lot of my dialogue out and I said I didn’t want to have a name. I should never tell them my name. My job is to get rid of [the group] so I can do what I have to do. I don’t want to make friends. I don’t want any more emotion to be released from me. I don’t want any sympathy. I don’t want to be sentimental, so let’s make this guy like one of those guys we love, like the Charles Bronsons of the world."

But while we may not know the big or tiny details of Sergeant’s life, don’t be confused: Frank Grillo knows the man inside out:

"I have a bible of backstory, which is just for me. What that does, my bible, is it creates my behavior, and good acting is behavior. If I know what I’m doing at all times and why I’m doing it, it makes what I’m doing authentic. That’s what every character has to have, all that knowledge."

He Wants To Be The Next Liam Neeson

It’s certainly an odd trend, but there is something about older action stars that audiences seem to be eating up these days. The whole thing can be traced back to Liam Neeson’s performance in Taken, where the 56-year-old Northern Irish actor started whipping around a particular set of skills that made movie-goers absolutely fall in love with him as a professional badass. Now more than ever, the door is open for other older actors to try and find the same level of success – and that’s right now the career goal for the 51-year-old Frank Grillo.

The topic came up while discussing the physical preparation Grillo needed for The Purge: Anarchy - which actually resulted in him telling me that there was no actual physical preparation necessary. Instead, he keeps himself so in shape with boxing, Jujitsu, Cross Fit, running and other various exercises that at this point most stunt guys are trying to keep up with him.

"I’m doing this TV show where it’s the world of MMA, and I know as much as the pros," Grillo explained. "I can roll with the pros, and I take pride in that. I love that, and it’s who I am as a man, and it’s who I am as an actor. I think it’s interesting that people are starting to recognize that maybe I’m one of a handful of guys who can kind of pull something off at my age. There’s plenty of young guys, so we’ll see what happens."

Of course, Grillo actually had the experience of working right alongside Liam Neeson in the Joe Carnahan arctic thriller The Grey, and the two actors are actually friends. The Taken star even made a point to provide some advice.

"He tells me, ‘Make sure your knees stay good,’" Grillo said, laughing.

He Took A Ton Of Inspiration From Pop Culture Revenge And Man-On-A-Mission Movies

Frank Grillo’s character in The Purge: Anarchy is cut from a very familiar Hollywood cloth. Movie-goers love a strong, silent man on a mission, and that’s exactly who Sergeant is. Of course, to try and be the best, you have to learn from the best, so while Grillo was preparing for the part, he did his film history homework to make sure that his character had the exact resonance he was going for.

In addition to building a personality bible for Sergeant that could be used as a reference for emotional reaction, Grillo also sat down to watch a number of classic films with classic man-on-a-mission heroes that Sergeant could relate to. So what exactly was on his watch list?

"I watched the old movies that I love," Grillo said. "Escape from New York with Snake Plissken, and even The Warriors, we watched again. I watched Outlaw Josey Wales and High Plains Drifter. I saw Bullitt with Steve McQueen and you know, those guys. And Lee Marvin, a couple Lee Marvin films."

Between Kurt Russell, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen and Lee Marvin, Grillo was learning from the best, and had a very clear idea in mind what he wanted both from his research and how Sergeant came across in The Purge: Anarchy:

"Those are the guys I want to be in a bar with," Grillo said. "If there’s a problem, and it’s going to get sloppy, I want to be with those guys."

The Satire Of The Purge World

The Purge franchise can largely be categorized in the thriller/horror genre, but the movies do feature their own little bit of satire. The sinister underlying reason for The Purge - allowing the wealthy to stay safe and healthy while the poor tear themselves to shreds – is obvious social commentary, and there are even some moments in The Purge: Anarchy where it beat audiences over the head with the message to the degree where it’s actually funny. Rather than just being the filmmakers trying too hard, however, this bit of over-the-topness is 100% intentional.

"It’s an outlandish idea, and I think what DeMonaco does with these movies is he’s poking fun at society," Grillo answered after I asked him about the larger world of The Purge. "Even with the way the newscasters sound, and ‘Release The Beast!’ and all that stuff. It’s a poke."

The movie is meant to be unrealistic (sorry, guys, we’re never going to get 12 hours of lawless freedom per year), but that also doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have something to say. As Grillo explains, there’s a certain terrifying culture of violence that is growing in our world, and things can and will get incredibly awful if it goes by completely unchecked. Said the actor,

"If we don’t get a handle on our obsession with violence and guns and hurting each other and the socioeconomic differences that we seem to have, and we don’t take care of people, something is going to happen. Something is going to happen."

The Purge: Anarchy will be in theaters on July 18th.

We're sort of getting into the dregs of the summer movie season with some bigger name flicks that look completely uninspiring hitting the big screen. It makes me wish I had just gone ahead and done a writeup about Boyhood (Predicted: Amazing, Actual: 100%) just for the sheer brilliance of the concept and execution. Alas, we are stuck with planes, sex tapes and purges.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at what This Rotten Week has to offer.

Rotten Watch Prediction

41%

Having never taken part in creating, filming or performing in a sex tape, it’s hard for me to connect with the thought of having one go out into the ether, absorbed or viewed by my friends and family. I also can’t really imagine a situation in which I’m financially flush enough to gift all my friends and family their own personal iPad. So this movie is a fantasy for a couple of different reasons.

Take a look at what I mean in this trailer for Sex Tape,

This kind of comedy, the ever-escalating series of crazy events tied around a central problem to solve, can work in the right instances. Many movies have pulled it off. The Hangover comes to mind. Then again, it can bomb dramatically and become nearly unwatchable as the hijinks cycles past any sense of comedy and get into downright stupidity. The Hangover Part II comes to mind. I very much feel this flick will fall into the latter category as Jason Segal and Cameron Diaz work to recover the copies of the sex tape they unknowingly released into the world. Frankly, it looks pretty stupid. A movie based on a title and concept rather than an organically conceived bunch of shenanigans that happen to turn out pretty funny.

Director Jason Kasdan has some experience turning out well-received comedies like Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (75%). He’s also saddled us with Bad Teacher (45%) (which also featured Diaz and Segel) so it isn’t like he’s a model of consistent humor. And it isn’t like the leads haven’t given us chuckles in the past. I just don’t think it happens this time in a movie that looks like they started throwing jokes and scenarios against a wall without bothering to see what would stick.

Rotten Watch Prediction

22%

Waiting with bated breath for the sequel to The Purge (38%)? Me neither. And rest assured, neither was anyone else. I don’t often mention the audience score for a movie in these writeups, but in this case it’s worth mentioning that the "people" gave it a resounding 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s one thing to have critics pan a flick while the target audience eats it up. This isn’t the case here. Everyone seems to have hated the first one. What does a studio do? Roll it back man!

Take a look at this trailer for the sequel, The Purge: Anarchy,

But hey, we all follow the dollar signs, and the original did make a bunch at the box office from a very small production budget. So we get another night of purging, this time with even more anarchy! Where the original confined itself to one house and family waiting out the purge, the sequel sets out for a night on the town. Replete with killing, raping, more killing, presumably more raping and whatever the hell else the studio thought it could get away with in 100 minutes of bedlam.

Jason DeMonaco is back after directing the original. These are his first two big budget directorial gigs and it seems, at least from a payday perspective, he’s doing just fine. But critically? I think this thing will bomb. It’d be shocking if it outpaced the first one which was at least an innovative idea. This one looks like a thousand other action films. Renegade is out for revenge, helps some people, takes down some baddies and probably dies in the process of saving innocents. That’d be my guess at least. I think critics purge it themselves and come down hard. Beyond my Rotten Tomatoes prediction, I’ll also go on a limb and say this is the last one we see of the series.

Rotten Watch Prediction

30%

I probably don’t even need to ask, but have you spent the last couple of months jonesing for the follow up story about Dusty CropHopper? Me neither. But alas, this week is full of sequels only a select group of people were asking for.

See what I’m talking about with the trailer for Planes: Fire and Rescue,

Brought to you by DisneyToon Productions, Planes: Fire and Rescue follows the aforementioned Dusty CropHopper as he transitions out of the plane racing circuit and into the high stakes world of fighting fires and rescuing stuff. Hardly able to keep a straight face while typing up that semi-serious capsule of this flick, I guess kids will like it and everyone else could completely do without it. I threw out a trial balloon with Little Rotten Week and she seemed semi-interested, but not over the moon.

I remember watching the trailer for the first one and being impressed by the quasi-inspiring music over shots of the cartoon planes flying thinking it brought an air of "feel good" to the production. In retrospect it seems like it masked the reality that the movie was paper thin. The sequel looks much the same way and I’d be shocked if it did much better than the first.

This poll is no longer available.

There was only one movie given a wide theatrical release last week, but I made the most of it. I totally nailed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Predicted: 91% Actual: 91%). Granted I had a head start here, with a bunch of reviews already in by the time I published my piece. But history won’t remember that. When they write the book about the famous column (or at worst, someone publishes the oral history) they’ll just see the dead on accuracy of this prediction. I know how history works: it’s kind with how it evaluates the past. In terms of the movie, it beat the original and firmly established this franchise as a mover going forward. Who woulda thunk it? After the disastrous Marky Mark version (Monkey Abe Lincoln!), I never thought we’d see the light of day on this series. Oops. They’ve done it here though with Cinema Blend’s Sean O’Connell giving it four stars in his review - a review that helped me nail the prediction which is all that really matters.

Next time around we'll battle with Hercules and go all in with Step Up. It’s going to be a Rotten Week!

As the release of The Purge: Anarchy approaches, Universal's glimpses at the film are giving us a better idea of the story, beyond the premise of a terrifying 12-hour stretch where all crime is legal. The latest featurette has Frank Grillo and the rest of the lead cast discussing their roles in this film, including how their characters connect with one another on this night of murder and mayhem.

The video, which comes courtesy of IGN, builds on some of the elements revealed in the recently released trailer. That includes Frank Grillo's character Leo, a grieving father who's looking to satiate his need for revenge on Purge Night. Is he aiming for the exact people responsible for his son's death? Or is he simply targeting Purgers?

Next up, we have mother-daughter duo Eva (Carmen Ejogo) and Cali (Zoe Soul), who don't have much money and are thusly unprepared to protect themselves when the siren goes off and the Purge begins.

Finally, there's Liz (Kiele Sanchez) and Shane (Zach Gilford), a couple who suffer some of the worst timing ever as their car breaks down on the eve of the Purge while they're on their way to Shane's sister house to lock-down.

From what's revealed to us in this and previous videos, it looks like these characters' lives collide as one of them is on a quest for revenge and the other four are on a quest not to be victims of the Purge. Who says there are no heroes on Purge night? Assuming Frank Grillo's Leo is actively targeting Purgers and not including unfortunate people caught in the middle of the mayhem for his revenge-quest, he may be the hero these people need to #SurviveTheNight. And it's also just as possible that Leo could slay his inner demon a bit by helping a single mother keep her daughter safe, having experienced the worst kind of grief in losing his own son. Just a bit of speculation there.

Beyond the character stories, there's also plenty of violence in the streets in The Purge: Anarchy. Catch some of that in the latest TV spot for the film:

The Purge: Anarchy arrives in theaters July 18.

"If you're not purging, we advise you to get off the streets. It'll soon be a war out there."

The first Purge movie showed us what the annual "Purge" is like for a family locked inside their own home. The sequel will take the Purge to the streets, revealing the horror that awaits those trapped out in the open when all crime, including murder, is legal for a twelve-hour period.

The Purge: Anarchy is set in the not-so-distant future where -- in an effort to deal with rising crime and unemployment -- the newly formed government allows crime to be legal for one night a year. Citizens aren't merely permitted to "purge" their violence and frustration on each other, but encouraged to do so. While some will lock themselves inside their homes for the night -- see James DeMonaco's 2013 film The Purge -- others from all walks of life take to the streets to unleash their demons. James DeMonaco returned to direct the followup, The Purge: Anarchy, which stars Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez and Michael K. Williams.

Let's take a closer look at the trailer, which shows off Frank Grillo, whose character appears to be grieving and out for vengeance...

From what we see of Grillo's character later, it looks like Leo is willing to help out some of the people trying not to become victims of the Purge.

Less supportive is the giddy woman on stage, offering up a crop of scared people for bidding at some kind of Purge auction...

Rich people.

We also see some guy hung up outside a building...

Any idea what the sign says? Zoomed in, it looks like the bottom part says "Now he's gone." But I can't make out what the top part says...

And then there's these guys, armed to the teeth and cruising through a tunnel or a building or something while one guy shoots flames at a pedestrian...

We also see some very angry looking dogs...

And plenty of other mayhem...

Beyond the official rules of the Purge, the trailer also teases the "unwritten" rule, which is that "we don't save lives." The Purge is a night to take ives and people participating can't have any interference. There are no heroes on Purge night.

I guess we'll see about that.

The Purge: Anarchy arrives in theaters July 18.

Who's ready for The Purge? Not quite? Well, Universal's giving you an opportunity to prepare with their planned immersive experience "The Purge: Breakout," which is set to tour the country, starting later this month, and may be coming to a city near you.

Those familiar with the concept from the original film and the upcoming sequel The Purge: Anarchy know that the fictional "Purge night" is an annual event created by the New Founders of America, set in the near future, where citizens are encouraged to "purge" their violent tendencies. For a 12-hour period, all crime (including murder) is legal. For some, the streets become a playground of chaos, offering opportunities for violence and vengeance. Others would prefer to stay indoors, locked away from those looking to exercise their right to purge.

In anticipation of The Purge: Anarchy, Universal is touring this escape game, The Purge: Breakout, which will have participants working in groups to solve increasingly complicated mind-bending puzzles and clues, in an effort to escape the game, which is set up 30 minutes before the start of "The Purge." What happens to people who don't best the game before The Purge begins? We can only guess!

Here's the list of dates and cities for "The Purge: Breakout" tour:

Atlanta - May 29 - June 1

Miami - June 5 - June 8

New York City - June 13 - June 15

Philadelphia - June 19 - June 22

Chicago - June 28 - June 29

Dallas - July 3 - July 6

Los Angeles - July 11 - July 20

Tickets for the game cost $20, and the fine print states that anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult (and they strongly discourage participation of anyone under the age of 13). Visit ThePurgeBreakout.com for information on how to get tickets.

"The Purge: Breakout" sounds like something that would be included in Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights. In fact, it looks like The Purge was included in last year's Halloween Horror Nights event with "The Purge: Survive the Night" listed among the scare zones. But "The Purge: Breakout" sounds like it'll have a different setup than that one. That said, perhaps Universal will consider adding it to the 2014 Halloween Horror Nights this fall. We'll have to wait and see. As of right now, "Breakout" seems specifically set up to boost awareness and anticipation of the sequel that's headed into theaters this summer.

In the meantime, The Purge is coming! Well, the sequel is, anyway. While the first Purge film focused most of its story on the happenings inside the house of a wealthy family trying to avoid the mayhem outside, The Purge: Anarchy takes the big event to the streets, where we expect to see much more of what goes on during this chaotic event. Directed by James DeMonaco, The Purge: Anarchy arrives in theaters July 18. Check out the latest trailer here.

Each year, the summer movie season is ruthless, filled with movies claiming and switching release dates, then studios cannibalizing each other to score a hit. Most of the time, however, there's the gentleman's agreement between all of them to keep the peace and usually release one blockbuster at a time. Part of this strategy comes from some execs watching their fellow producer bomb when they overestimate the broad appeal of their film. In summer, movies die loudly, and they leave scars.

Which is why we've decided to break down most of the summer's offerings, observing exactly what it is about some films that cause them to succeed and fail. This involved number crunching, market analysis, educated guesses, and the application of a few snobby biases. We've separated these groups into obvious hits, less-obvious hits, so-so performers and outright bombs, all comparative to budgets. All gross numbers are global totals unless otherwise specified. Feel free to bookmark this, and check it at the end of the summer.

Megahits

Godzilla – Few summer films have had marketing as impressive as this monster mash, which is seeing release after two more frivolous summer entertainments (Amazing Spider-Man 2, Neighbors). Ads have obscured the monster, but favored the disaster footage, a money-shot heavy approach that likens this picture to, ironically, a film like the ones made by 1998 Godzilla director Roland Emmerich, albeit more serious. That film, by the way, grossed $379 million globally despite being hated by just about everyone. With an inflated overseas market, this thing could be looking at upwards of $200 million domestically, and $600 million global.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past – Strangely enough, the X-films haven't broke out like other superhero franchises: the highest grossing effort is the $459 million registered by X-Men: The Last Stand. Because it's eight full years later, because the overseas market has changed, because this is in 3D, and because this is following the Fast And Furious model of filling the cast with characters from all previous films, there's reason to believe this film will obliterate that number. Last year's The Wolverine was extremely well-received internationally, grossing $414 million worldwide, but it was a smaller, lower-budgeted affair. This new film promises armies of mutants, killer robots and time travel, basically the exact opposite elements that made The Wolverine the lowest grossing X-film domestically. X-pect (EL OH EL) grosses close to $275 million domestically, and $600 million worldwide.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 - The animated sequel bump doesn't always occur for some films: Kung Fu Panda 2 and Happy Feet Two are two recent examples of animated sequels that lacked the domestic success of the originals. But consider the case of Shrek 2 and Despicable Me 2, and realize that Dreamworks' Dragons franchise has had a presence on television with the Riders Of Berk series, and you're looking at the first animated kid flick of the summer obliterating the original's $494 million take, with possibly a $700 million worldwide tally.

Transformers: Age Of Extinction - Transformers: Dark Of The Moon was weaker domestically than its predecessor, though the strong global numbers took the film over the billion dollar mark. The signs would suggest a slightly shrinking appeal, but no studio dared to challenge this franchise's dominance over the 4th of July weekend. Not only is it opening a full week before Independence Day, but there's very little to challenge the picture on that date, giving Age Of Extinction two full weekends to most likely cross $200 million domestic, on its way to a $300 million franchise-standard domestic gross and at least $800 million worldwide.

Dawn of The Planet Of The Apes – The earlier film was an August surprise, coming out of nowhere to gross $481 million. This one comes two weeks after Transformers dominates the marketplace, and does so with the added strength of 3D, and an arguable upgrade at director in Matt Reeves. This franchise remains beloved by fans – even 2001's hated reboot earned $362 million worldwide – and as they move closer to territory established by the original films, expect new fans and baby boomers to be intrigued, to the tune of $525 million global.

Modest Hits

Neighbors – This fratty comedy spins on the premise of a generational struggle between an older, responsible guy and a young antagonist. But by casting Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, they basically went with two beloved actors of a similar demographic, limiting the crossover appeal to teens and young adults. That will probably keep this film from breaking out, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Neighbors do basically the same, or slightly better numbers as last year's This Is The End, which grossed $126 million.

A Million Ways To Die In The West – Without the appeal of a teddy bear and an A-List star, this picture's not going to even sneeze at Ted's preposterous $549 million take. But international audiences have begun to show a kindness towards westerns they never did before, with True Grit and Django Unchained scoring high in overseas regions. The somewhat narrow appeal of Seth MacFarlane as a leading man gives this film a bit of a handicap, and a comedy-western isn't exactly blockbuster material, but it wouldn't be strange to see this film push $200 million globally on the back of MacFarlane's fanbase.

Edge Of Tomorrow – Stateside, the profile for this film is limited, given Tom Cruise's shrinking appeal. Coming a week after the kiddie-courting Maleficent, this should at least have a robust opening. But Cruise's biggest business comes overseas, where each of his last four starring vehicles grossed 70% or more of their totals, none of which had aliens or exoskeleton mechs. This could surpass a solid $120 million over here, and land at $450 million worldwide.

The Fault In Our Stars – Expectations are managed for this film, which only cost $12 million. This is counter-programming against the boy-centric blockbusters, even if the cancer storyline is a surprising downer for the target age group. Shailene Woodley is liked by her audience, but Divergent's $233 million global take was a bit below expectations. Still, if this passes $60 million domestically, it's a big win.

22 Jump Street – The first film was a surprise springtime smash, with $201 million worldwide. Since then, you could argue that stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill have plateaued: Hill's Wolf Of Wall Street Oscar nomination helped him, but didn't give him any real box office traction, while Tatum experienced a disappointment with White House Down. Still, the first was well-liked enough that this one might not open big (particularly not against How To Train Your Dragon 2) but it could perform steadily enough to gross at least $180 million globally.

Think Like A Man, Too – If you'll look around the summer schedule, you'll notice a severe lack of entertainment options for black and Hispanic audiences. Here comes this sequel to fill that void, having an added hook of a Vegas setting to distinguish this from the first film. This is coming out in a much more competitive environment than the first one, but it should open big, even if it only comes within a few dollars of the original's $91 million take.

Deliver Us From Evil – It's not entirely clear how Screen Gems is positioning what looks like a September dump into the Fourth Of July weekend, but here it is. And because there's very little to offer audiences that holiday aside from comedy Tammy and the Transformers, expect this film to reap a genre windfall. Maybe not at the level of last year's The Conjuring, as Screen Gems is a mixed bag as far as genre offerings (last year brought Carrie and Mortal Instruments: City of Bones), but a $130 million global gross and $80 million domestic should be solid.

The Purge: Anarchy – The bloom is off the rose with this series, as ticket-buyers turned on the film almost immediately during it's massive opening weekend. But you can live with negative feedback when you gross $89 million on a budget of only $3 million. This film adds the hook of an outdoors expansion of the concept, which should bring fresh eyes, but it doesn't look like the series has breakout potential beyond that. Still, a global tally close to the original with added support overseas is absolutely in play.

Step Up: All In – These films are basically cheap and designed almost solely for the international market, where they are, in some regions, retitled Sexy Dance. Step Up: Revolution was the weakest performer in the series domestically, but it still registered a $140 million global gross. This one should experience a slight uptick, given that it reunites characters from all the earlier films, essentially making it Step Up: Days Of Future Past. A final number close to the $159 million collected by Step Up 3D is certainly possible.

Guardians Of The Galaxy – A Marvel gamble back in 2008 meant something different than a wager by them now, and Guardians is one of the biggest. Looking at the schedule, it's entirely possible this film opens in a vacuum, and Marvel's increased profile suggests it could play strongly throughout the month. Thor was a similar risk, and opening at the beginning of May in 2011 it grossed $449 million, mostly on the strength of foreign audiences. Comparatively, 2008's The Incredible Hulk was the weakest of the Marvel films thus far, with $236 million worldwide. Split the difference, add in 3D, and there's no reason the Guardians can't register a $400 million global gross.

Get On Up – Late-summer dramas always have a good shot to break out, and some serious-minded audiences are already prepared for fall. An example would be The Help, which opened in August and grossed $216 million on its way to Oscar nominations. That film's director Tate Taylor returns for a James Brown biopic that promises lively music, high drama and the chance to honor the life of a legend. Walk The Line and Ray were two recent music biopics released in the fall to $186 million and $124 million worldwide numbers. This one could snuggle in right between those two at around $150 million globally.

Break-Evens

Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Sony head Amy Pascal threw down the gauntlet by suggesting this film should break a billion worldwide for the studio. Given that the last film pulled in $752 million, a far cry from Spider-Man 3's $890 million tally even with added 3D, you can see how she's barking up the wrong tree. Amazing Spider-Man 2 has the year's best release date and a surplus of promotion behind it. But enthusiasm and fan interest in the last picture dwindled considerably, and this is a franchise in trouble. The last film opened late in summer and had legs to support it's weaker opening. This one will open much bigger, but soon has to run the gauntlet against Godzilla and X-Men. At a reported $250 million budget not counting P+A, this is going to need to break the bank, and with international numbers solid but not overwhelming, this film could clock in around $650 million, a new low for the series.

Maleficent – Alice In Wonderland set the studios on the path of live action big budget fairy tale movies, but none have become breakout successes. The latest is this Sleeping Beauty reworking, which some say cost as much as $200 million (which may or may not include expensive reshoots). Reaching the $396 million grossed by Snow White And The Huntsman isn't quite going to cut it. Fortunately, the film's got Angelina Jolie on its side: she hasn't been seen onscreen since the one-two punch of Salt and The Tourist, both of which made over 60% of their grosses internationally. The results may be modest domestically, but expect the film to register a worldwide gross in the neighborhood of $450 million.

Planes: Fire And Rescue – No one paid Planes a second thought last summer, and the $50 million toon ran away with $219 million worldwide. This sequel was pretty much part of the deal, and will be arriving six weeks after the last kid flick, How To Train Your Dragon 2. A satisfactory $200 million worldwide is certainly in play once again.

Hercules – Over the last four years, Dwayne Johnson has starred in four films that crossed at least $300 million worldwide. And in all of those cases, he was honing in on someone else's franchise, riding the coattails of an established brand. This is the first big budget film to rest entirely on Johnson's name and charisma, but unfortunately he's relied on director Brett Ratner to illustrate it. Johnson's best when he gets to have a sense of humor and/or bounce off another major co-star, and here he has neither. Instead, he's in the type of pre-packaged film that audiences can clearly envision in their head before seeing, as if it were a parody inside another film. International audiences will be there to support Johnson, but $250 million worldwide and a very strong DVD life is probably the ceiling.

Lucy – Luc Besson reinvented himself as sort of a brand for b-level action in the wake of the Taken movies, but you could argue it's been a long run of non-successes, with films like Columbiana and Lockout dotting his resume. He returns to the director's chair with this thriller, and while last year's The Family was dreadful, it still registered a respectable $68 million. Here, he's got Scarlett Johansson, a sneaky-good box office bet: Johansson has smartly positioned herself as one of the world's biggest movie stars without logging a single leading role in the last four years with the exception of the arthouse hit Under The Skin. The Marvel films have helped, as well as supporting appearances in He's Just Not That Into You and We Bought A Zoo. Teaming her with Morgan Freeman, another box office lucky charm, should result in a few cheap late-August dollars, and possibly a global gross near $90 million.

The Expendables 3 – The second film in this series boasted the added star-power of Chuck Norris, Liam Hemsworth, and a still-hungry Jean-Claude Van Damme, not to mention a chance to actually see Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger together in action. While the $305 million gross was robust, the domestic numbers were considerably weaker from part one to part two. With Stallone and Schwarzenegger's solo efforts being roundly rejected, and the dwindling box office numbers of Jason Statham threatening to turn him into a supporting star, the only real lure for this film is the added presence of Wesley Snipes. Bigger name additions like Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson, comparatively seem like desperate last-gasp attempts at relevance, and niche cast additions like Antonio Banderas (huh?), Kelsey Grammer (what?) and Glen Powell (who?) won't move the needle for the average action fan. Worldwide numbers around $250 million should please the studio, though expect a domestic take in the neighborhood of $70 million.

Potential Flops

Blended – This romantic adventure has a safari hook, but trailers have struggled to show the actual conflict. Adam Sandler reuniting with The Wedding Singer collaborators Drew Barrymore and director Frank Coraci is probably a good move in the actor's career, as the bottom threatens to fall out after a string of middling performers. Despite the $246 million grossed by Grown Ups 2, Sandler's overall track record is beginning to get a little spotty: unlike other comedians, he can rely on foreign audiences to support his work, but Jack And Jill ($149 million) was a downer, and That's My Boy ($57 million) was a disaster. Targeting families isn't a bad approach, but this comes out against X-Men: Days Of Future Past. An end result of somewhere around $150 million global isn't too bad for a family comedy, but Sandler's films tend to have completely unreasonable budgets: Grown Ups 2 pretty much takes place in backyards and shopping malls and it cost $80 million. If this has a similar production cost, $200 million should be the goal.

Tammy – Melissa McCarthy is coming off a strong run that includes Identity Thief ($173 million) and The Heat ($229 million). This is a road trip comedy, however, and her only real support comes from Susan Sarandon. This seemed like a smaller project from the start, so the Fourth Of July berth is surprising, but McCarthy has had stronger, more proven box office stars to bounce against in her earlier work. This likely wasn't an expensive film, but without the support of an international audience, and opening in the wake of Transformers, this could easily take a knee at $80-$90 million worldwide.

Jupiter Ascending – You hate to predict negative results for an ambitious-looking original film like this, but there are too many wild-cards at play. It's not like the film – which features a half-wolf bounty hunter in the future pursuing a pretty janitor destined for great things – is that strange, but it certainly stands out in a sea of sequels, remakes and adaptations. Still, the Wachowskis have been playing with house money for awhile now: Speed Racer was a tremendously costly failure, and the expensive Cloud Atlas was released by Warner Bros. as if they were embarrassed by it. Their outlandish sci-fi concept rests on the appeal of Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis, both of whom have varied box office histories in recent years, and one is playing an elfin killer, the other a janitor. You wish them the best of luck, but the film is coming a week after Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and carrying a massive $150 million budget. A global gross of $200 million would actually be saving face.

Sex Tape – Bad Teacher alumni Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel and director Jake Kasdan reunite for this raunchy comedy that pivots on an elaborate hook involving the misplaced marital aid in the title. Like Bad Teacher, it likely comes in at a reasonable price, and in Diaz it has an abnormally reliable leading lady at the box office. But Segel's last starring vehicle aside from The Muppets was Five Year Engagement, which crashed and burned at $53 million. The end of July looks like a decompression period where a lot of films won't hit, and Sex Tape looks like it could be one of the few to vanish, it's concept lending itself to a universal concept that no one wants to admit they comprehend.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Platinum Dunes has given the heroes in a half shell an expensive big screen treatment. Two major elements really hold this film back, however (three if it's terrible). One, do the Turtles really have any mainstream appeal right now? The constantly-rebooted show is never exactly a breakout hit with TV audiences. And 2007's TMNT grossed an underwhelming $95 million, quickly forgotten by the fanbase. Two, look at those turtle designs. The trailer has played to much confusion as people seem to be put-off by these edgy, frankly unsightly-looking Ninja heroes. A major marketing challenge has been created by the sight of these things: international audiences may not care, though and they'll help buoy a worldwide gross around $120 million.

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For It's been how long since that first movie? The $158 million gross was considerable, sure, but one can be argued that the film did next-to-nothing for the box office reputations of its stars. Some are less-bankable now (Bruce Willis). Some have aged out of their roles (Jessica Alba). And some, sadly, have passed away (Michael Clarke Duncan, Brittany Murphy). As a result, there's a lack of truly compelling reasons to revisit Sin City once again, particularly considering the sad career trajectory of Robert Rodriguez, once a Hollywood maverick, now another sequel for-hire guy with buddy Frank Miller. Opening in the dregs of August isn't a great sign, though the international numbers just might get the film's global total over $100 million.

"Just remember all the good the Purge does."

It’s kind of hard for audiences to do such a thing, seeing as how we haven’t been privy to a feature where the other 364 days of the year are showcased. We’ve only gotten to see the most dangerous night of the year, and it was something of a missed opportunity the first time out. But James DeMonaco’s sequel The Purge: Anarchy is taking the violence out of home security and into the street, where no one is safe. And that is precisely why this flick looks a million times better than the first one, just without the comfort of Ethan Hawke’s acting abilities to anchor it down to Earth.

Now that doesn’t necessarily mean this will be a fantastic movie in and of itself, as this trailer looks like it’s telling two different stories, barely calling back to the one we saw in the recent teaser. But there is a ton of horrific imagery to tie them all together, so I can’t really complain, as that’s mostly what I want to see in this sequel anyway.

Here we have Frank Grillo’s mysterious character, who is mourning the loss of his son (presumably) and wants to get some kind of revenge. Of course, the only time he can do that is when the New Founders of America commemorate the nationwide 24 hours of mayhem by closing down shop and allowing America to turn on itself. He appears to be tracking the person responsible for his son’s death, but gets caught up in helping two women (Zoë Soul and Carmen Ejogo) who have been taken from their homes and are being half-tortured. And then a bunch of guys start shooting automatic weapons. Yay!

In the more limited plot, Zach Gilford and his girlfriend are trying to get home when their car stalls out on a bridge, forcing them to run away from a group of motorcycle-riding mask-wearing whackos. And then there might be some other protagonists hiding in these quick flashes between gunplay and massive fires.

It apparently all comes down to "the last purge of the evening," in which all of our main characters are rounded up and presented to the attendees of a gala affair specifically meant to prey on those less fortunate, who are auctioned off to the highest bidders. Sounds kind of like the climax of the first film, just bigger, like everything else in this sequel. That woman in the blue dress will absolutely be haunting my nightmares tonight.

Regardless of whether this turns out to be a great flick or not, this trailer certainly has me more excited for it. My only questions are: where the hell is Michael K. Williams, and what’s the point in giving a trailer a five-second countdown? Read the last sentence of this story in 5-4-3-2-1.

Find The Purge: Anarchy in theaters on July 18, assuming that isn’t the night when our president decides to turn Obamacare into 24 hours of all-out warfare.

GTA 5 continues to be a great way for gamers to express their love for movies. This week a group of gamers released a trailer based on the upcoming horror film The Purge: Anarchy that uses footage from GTA 5 as well as its multiplayer component, GTA Online.

The Purge: Anarchy depicts a near-future America that deals with crime in an unusual way. Each year, they make all crimes legal for twelve hours. The idea is that people will get all that mayhem out of their system and then (somehow) become more rational, level-headed people for the rest of the year. The movie's plot centers around a couple who gets trapped outside their home in the middle of the Purge because movies.

I'm surprised there aren't dozens of GTA Online videos based on Anarchy. The game and movie share a lot of DNA. After all, they're both about anonymous strangers who wreak havoc on a city in order to blow off steam. There are enough vehicles, masks and weapons for GTA Online players to recreate the whole movie if they want. It would be a lot easier than remaking that Skyfall train scene.

The GTA Online trailer from Old Grandpa Carl doesn't attempt to replicate the film trailer shot for shot. There's some footage that doesn't really fit at all, such as a plane soaring over Los Santos or a skydiver. I guess that's just the director's way of creating aerial shots? I wish he had attempted to make a one-for-one remake because like I said, it's certainly possible with all the gear at players' disposal GTA Online.

Still, the GTA Online parody still captures the gyst of Purge: Anarchy: strangers are dicks and they'll run you down with dirtbikes if you give them the chance. Also, people really like wearing masks when they're being murder-y.

The Purge: Anarchy's release date was moved back a month after the trailer's premiere. It's now set to hit theaters on July 18th. I'm sure we'll see even more GTA 5 spoofs once gamers have seen the full movie. Or maybe they'll find some other muse like Captain America: Winter Soldier or, uh, How to Train Your Dragon 2.

As promised, The Purge 2 trailer has arrived, along with confirmation of the official title for the film, The Purge: Anarchy. Universal has this labeled as a teaser trailer, and while it clocks in at about a minute and a half, its emphasis on the start of the annual Purge does lean more toward teaser.

The trailer begins with Zach Gilford's character and his girlfriend in a car, rushing to get to their destination on the eve of the annual Purge. Their car breaks down, leaving them stuck on the streets as the Purge begins. As it's set up in James DeMonaco's film The Purge, the story's set in the not-so-distant future when the government has instituted an annual Purge, which makes all crime legal for a 12-hour stretch of time once a year in March. The first film centered on a wealthy family trying to protect themselves when their fortress-like house is breeched during the Purge. As the trailer for the sequel indicates, the followup will focus on a new set of characters trying to survive the Purge. And it looks like they're not the only ones...

It seems like whatever they have planned for that guy, they don't want it to make a mess of the room or the art on the walls.

Having "America the Beautiful" creepily playing in the background as we watch the lead couple desperately trying not to get brutally murdered during the Purge adds an eerie tone to the video, and -- along with the words "Your government thanks you for your participation" -- reminds us that this "Purge" isn't merely an annual tradition that some people partake in, but a nationwide, government sanctioned event. As it's presented in the original movie, the bizarre twist to the premise is how mainstream it is. People support it and even encourage it, despite the carnage, as they believe the Purge allows people to get those dark tendencies out of their system and that its effects are a benefit to the country. Of course, for those left vulnerable to the purgers, the whole thing probably seems like one big nightmare.

In addition to the trailer, Universal also launched the Purge: Anarchy website, which throws a patriotic spin on the violent nature of the Purge, reminding us that it's "an American tradition" and using guns, knives and other weapons to depict the American Flag...

The site also includes this image, which shows some poor guy presumably under attack...

Written and directed by James DeMonaco, The Purge: Anarchy arrives June 20, 2014.

Following the Blumhouse model of combining horror with compelling stories, low-budgets, and admired stars, the $3 million movie The Purge proved a big hit last year, pulling in an impressive $89 million worldwide. Within days of release, a sequel was announced. Now we have a title, and it's one that promises the murderous mayhem of the first film will be knocked up a few notches. Coming to theaters this summer will be The Purge: Anarchy.

Shock Till You Drop dropped this new name along with a promise that a minute-and-a-half long trailer will hit tomorrow. That trailer will not only give us our first look at this anticipated sequel, but also will reveal its MPAA rating. The Purge was rated R, and I'm betting that Blumhouse will keep part two plenty gory to appease the blood-thirsty fans of the first flick.

While it was a hit with audiences and offered great return on investment for its makers, The Purge was loathed by critics, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 37%. Our own Sean O'Connell called it, "a despicable, ugly and valueless exercise in hate, that purges all potential out of its interesting, original concept." And while I totally see Sean's point, I actually have high hopes for The Purge: Anarchy because it's playing on the first film's strongest aspect: the fascinating setting.

It's the not-so-distant future, where America is still a land of haves and have-nots. But the U.S. is more peaceful than its ever been before because of a yearly event called "The Purge." For one 12-hour span, every conceivable crime is completely legal. Robbery, murder, rape is all endorsed as a form of release, resulting in a calmer, nearly crime-free society for 364 days of the year. Of course, this impacts some areas more than others.

Watching the film, I realized instantly how this purge would hit urban areas--where people live on top of each other--far harder than suburbia and the gilded gated communities therein. But that is where the first film takes place, focusing on rich folk who essentially cannibalize each other over petty jealousies. This is where the first movie lost me a bit. My mind kept wandering to what was happening in less affluent areas where people didn't have money to fund massive home security systems? Well, that is exactly what The Purge: Anarchy is all about. According to the sequel's star Zach Gilford, this new movie will move the focus to an urban environment that devolves into a war zone during this twisted national holiday. He told Fangoria:

Tomorrow we'll see what this different angle looks like.

The Purge: Anarchy will hit theaters on June 20th.