Blumhouse Production has become a master of micro-budget horror films that go on to yield big rewards at the box office. Perhaps no other franchise from the production company is as reflective of this than The Purge. The violent dystopian series has four movies, with each one performing relatively solid with audiences. The fourth film, The First Purge, released in theaters earlier this month. And while the response was a bit muted here in the states, the foreign market is drinking it up. The movie has reached over $100 million globally and possesses the highest foreign box office of the series.
The foreign market is loving The First Purge, and has propelled the movie to a franchise milestone. According to Deadline, The First Purge now has $100 million in the bank, which was mostly contributed by the foreign market. Foreign audiences pushed The First Purge to $41 million. This puts it above The Purge: Anarchy's $39.9 foreign box office total. Meanwhile, the worldwide total for The First Purge is over $100 million, making it the third highest grossing film in the series. The Purge: Election Year is still on top with $118.6 million.
The thing that is interesting about The Purge series is that each film has performed better than the last overseas. With the exception of the original Purge, every film has earned at least $39 million at the box office. As far as American audiences are concerned, each film has performed strongly except for The First Purge. The movie opened with $17.3 million, almost half of The Purge: Election Year's $31.5 million. The First Purge is the weakest domestically, but every film before it has gone on to make more than the last so maybe it's an outlier rather than a trend.
The First Purge, if the title doesn't give it away, is about the origins of the Purge, the holiday in which anyone is allowed to commit what every crime they want for one night. The movie focuses on one specific neighborhood and their attempts to survive (and indulge) the night. The movie is directed by Gerard McMurray and starring Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Luna Lauren Velez, Kristen Solis, and Marisa Tomei. The First Purge received mixed reviews, with CinemaBlend say that it was arguably the weakest film in the series but "still a fun action-horror romp".
A fifth movie in the franchise has yet to be announced, but a TV series, simply titled The Purge, is on the way. The 10 part event will air on USA on September 4, 2018. For more movie news, be sure to stick with CinemaBlend and we'll be sure to keep you updated with new information as soon as it becomes available.
