The Purge

The Purge is an American anthology media franchise centered on a series of dystopian action horror films distributed by Universal Pictures and produced by Blumhouse Productions and Platinum Dunes, which are written and in some cases also directed by James DeMonaco, who was inspired by a Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "The Return of the Archons". The films present a seemingly normal, crime-free America in the near future. However, the country is a dystopia which observes an annual event known as "the Purge", in which all crime, including murder, is legal for a 12-hour period.

The franchise began in 2013 with The Purge, directed by creator DeMonaco, who also directed two of the sequels and wrote the screenplays for all films in the series. A fifth installment, The Forever Purge, was released on July 2, 2021. In addition to the films, the franchise has spawned an eponymous television series created by DeMonaco, who also wrote its pilot episode; made of two seasons, each acting as mostly self-contained stories in the same universe as the films, it premiered on September 4, 2018, and concluded on December 17, 2019.

All installments in the franchise, including the television series, have received mixed reviews from critics, who frequently praised the action, tension and performances but criticized the writing; the franchise's prominent social commentary on issues such as violence, politics, class conflict and race was noted, although a number of critics felt that they were undermined by the violence and formulaic writing. All of the films were commercially successful, with each film making several times its cost in revenue. The films have grossed over $500 million overall against a combined production budget of $53 million.