Blumhouse Productions has never been a company to shy away from milking popular franchises for a series of sequels. However, that doesn’t mean they keep franchises going forever. Right now, one of the production company’s most profitable series is “The Purge,” but according to the creative mind behind it all, it looks like Blumhouse is ready to put an end to the action-horror series while its still on top.
In a new interview with EW, James DeMonaco, the writer of all four ‘Purge’ films and the director of the first three, says that he has an idea for a fifth film, which he wants to serve as a conclusion for the series.
READ MORE: ‘The First Purge’ Is Angry, But Doesn’t Know What To Do With Its Rage [Review]
“I have it in my head,” says DeMonaco. “I think I’m going to write it. I think it’s a great way to end it all. We want to end it all, I think, in this one, and I’m very excited. When I came up with the idea and pitched it to everybody, they seemed psyched, and I think it will be a really cool ending, how we take this one home.”
Unlike the “Paranormal Activity” franchise, which was finished off only after there was a pattern of diminishing box office returns, “The Purge’ has not only been strong at the box office, but each subsequent film in the series has outgrossed the previous one worldwide. Most recently, “The First Purge,” which hit theaters over the summer, earned $136 million worldwide. Not too shabby at all. So, if Blumhouse and DeMonaco are ready to finish off the popular franchise, they’d be doing it while “The Purge” is still a very profitable brand.
After a successful horror-thriller launch with “The Purge,” the franchise leaned more into the action genre for subsequent films, venturing into more political territory in the most recent two entries. This year also saw the premiere of a USA Network series called “The Purge,” which took a longer-form look at the film series’ premise of all crime being legal for 12 hours, once a year. It’s unclear if that series will continue on or not, as of now.
We’ll just have to wait and see what Blumhouse has up its sleeve.