As the nightmare that is 2020 finally starts to wind down, it looks like lots of folks are spending their free time at home enjoying horror flicks to help take their minds off things. Indeed, as streaming services are busy putting together their brand new schedules for 2021, a somewhat overlooked movie from 2018 has managed to crack Netflix‘s Top 10 most-watched list today.
More specifically, the pic in question is The First Purge, and a little confusingly, this is in fact the fourth and latest film in the acclaimed dystopian thriller franchise. For those unaware, The Purge series focuses on an alternate reality near-future America that’s ravaged by record levels of crime and ongoing problems with overcrowded prisons. In a bid to control the rising criminal activity, the government gives the go-ahead to a dark and controversial annual national holiday that sees all crime – including murder – become legal for a 12-hour period. So, not exactly traditional Christmas fare, then.
Interestingly, even though The First Purge was the fourth outing in a long-running modern horror franchise, it managed to gross a very respectable $137 million from a budget of just $13 million. As a result, a follow-up was always going to be on the cards and sure enough, Universal Pictures already has something in the pipeline.
Indeed, a fifth movie is officially in the works and is allegedly dubbed The Forever Purge. Though little is known about the narrative, it’s targeting a 2021 release window and the producers are apparently hoping for a “couple more” sequels after this one. Let’s just hope that the law of diminishing returns doesn’t set in too soon.
But tell us, will you be checking out The First Purge on Netflix? Or will you be giving it a miss? Let us know in the usual place down below.
Published: Dec 26, 2020 10:58 am