The Purge horror movie franchise takes place in a not-too-distant futuristic world where for one night only, all crime is legal. There are no law enforcement, firefighters, or medical services available and no harm can be done to politicians of higher importance. It was passed into law that The Purge would commence for 12 continuous hours one night every year. It was thought, and proven right, that this would lower crime throughout the year to 1%, control the population, and allow the economy to once again thrive. But there was an underlying reason for The Purge that was exposed later in the franchise.
The way The Purge works, if someone is a lower class citizen (meaning less wealth, power, or social status), then they will not be able to protect themselves the way a rich person would. In the first film, the story surrounds a rich family and neighborhood who are getting ready for lockdown. Because of their gated community and fancy security systems, it will be difficult or impossible for them to be harmed during the event. But for those without excess wealth to spend on a fortified home, they will be unable to protect themselves as well. Because of this, politicians know that the people of America will do their work for them by getting rid of the lower class so that the ultra-rich can thrive. It's also a form of population control again in favor of the rich so that they may have more resources and money without having to share with those "on the bottom of the food chain."
The franchise started off on a weak foot as many people thought the idea of the story was very strong and exciting, yet the movie itself only offered a very small glimpse into the world of The Purge. Audiences only got to see perhaps the least chaotic story this type of world could have produced. A rich family that is so far removed from the people the event is meant to target offered very little in terms of world-building.
There is a villain who has perhaps the least amount of presence any villain could have, and he feels more like a blond-haired blue-eyed spoiled rich kid who needs a time-out. He is joined by his self-righteous idiotic friends who are more concerned with giving each other piggyback rides than taking part in the night's events. At one point in the movie, the mother of the family even sits down with her neighbors (who tried to kill her and her family) to wait out the end of The Purge as if it actually is a time-out instead of doing what any other person would and kill her tormenters so that they don't try to do the same thing again next year.
But luckily, the sequels made sure to expand upon the first film's premise and show the world of The Purge in all its gory glory outside the privileged walls of a rich community. The Purge Anarchy tells the story of a small group of people stuck outside during the night of The Purge. They have to help each other if they want to survive the night. The sequel film even explores the idea of a group of people who oppose the idea of a purge and want to put a stop to it. The super-rich are also able to buy people who are struggling to provide for their families. By allowing themselves to be sold to rich people who want to participate in The Purge by killing someone in the comfort and protection of their homes, they can leave behind money to their low-income families.
The world of The Purge is further expanded in the following sequels by showing how there are some politicians who are fighting to either keep the purge going or to end it. And there's even a prequel movie titled The First Purge that, like the title suggests, is a film about how the first purge came to be. Although all four films in the franchise have relatively low ratings from critics on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, audience reviews of the franchise are positive. It has quite a cult following of fans who love the idea of The Purge. Many even say it reflects the reality of America in the present and will become more apparent in the future. The movies are successful in terms of profit—the films cost around $3-$13 million to produce and turn a profit of $90-$137 million.
The Purge franchise, despite starting off a little weak, has continued to bring in viewers since its first film in 2013. There have been a total of four films and a two-season television series. There is an upcoming fifth film—The Forever Purge—releasing on July 2, 2021. The creator says it will be the last film in the franchise (at least for a while that is). The fifth film will be the franchise's biggest budget yet at about $26 million and will no doubt be an exciting summer blockbuster.