The latest entry from The Purge franchise is now streaming on Max, and the divisive nine-year-old movie from the $535 million horror franchise still hasn’t been followed up by a sequel. The Purge is one of the most popular horror franchises of all time, with the violent and political movie series taking a unique concept and finding new things to do with it in each entry. While there are many movies in The Purge franchise, the first one is inarguably the most popular, which is why it is surprising that this controversial The Purge sequel is trending now.

The Purge is set in a world where, once a year, all crime is legal for 24 hours. This means that individuals are forced to survive a night of horrors, with all kinds of murders, looting, and other illicit activities going on. After the surprising success of the original 2013 film, The Purge expanded into a mᴀssive franchise, with it getting three sequels, a prequel movie, and even a TV show. While there has been word of a sixth film, it has been nine years since a proper The Purge sequel was released, and that is possibly thanks to the divisive nature of this entry.

The Purge: Election Year Is Trending On Max 9 Years After Its Release – What The Sequel Is About

It Is The Last Film To Focus On Frank Grillo’s Character

As of the writing of this article, The Purge: Election Year is trending #3 on Max, which is surprising nine years after its release. The fourth entry in The Purge franchise again follows Frank Grillo’s Leo Barnes, who is now the head of security for Charlie Roan, a U.S. Senator who is running for President of the United States in 2040. Although immunity had previously been given to politicians during Purge nights, The Purge: Election Year sees this privilege get revoked, putting Roan and every other politician in danger.

As is expected, the film mostly focuses on another Purge night, with it fleshing out the worldbuilding of how the Purge works with these new rules. Frank Grillo’s Leo Barnes is the main protagonist of The Purge franchise, and while later films like The First Purge and The Forever Purge have been set in this universe, 2016’s The Purge: Election Year was the last movie to focus on this character. Luckily, a new The Purge film is in development, with Frank Grillo in talks to return as his iconic horror franchise character.

Why The Purge: Election Year Was So Divisive

It Polarized Many Viewers

The Purge: Election Year was incredibly divisive upon its release, with the controversial film getting mixed reviews from critics and audiences. While every The Purge movie has been political, The Purge: Election Year was far more political than its predecessors, with it being more blatant about its real-world connection. This rubbed some viewers the wrong way for a variety of reasons. For some, it was too serious for the silliness inherent to The Purge franchise. For others, The Purge: Election Year should have been more serious, with it not finding the proper balance.

Another problem with The Purge: Election Year is that it was too similar to its predecessors. The film was essentially going through the motions again, and it didn’t do anything new enough to warrant a return to the world of The Purge. While The Purge: Election Year does have its fans, it isn’t as universally beloved as some of the other entries in the franchise.

Why The Purge 6 Is Taking So Long To Release

Frank Grillo Is Uncertain About The Sequel’s Status

When The Forever Purge was in development, it was intended to be the final film in the franchise. However, Jason Blum announced that more The Purge movies were in development in June 2021, and one of these would be a proper sequel to The Purge: Election Year. According to franchise creator James DeMonaco, the film would pick up where The Purge: Election Year left off, with it following Frank Grillo’s Leo Barnes during a worldwide purge.

I heard they are working on it. I don’t know if I’ll be in it. I don’t know. I know they’ve had some conversations. We’ll see what happens. I might not be available, I might be doing Werewolves 2 and 3.

Not much has been said about The Purge 6‘s development since 2021, however. Frank Grillo seems uncertain about whether The Purge 6 will happen with his character, as he has stated that, while they have had conversations about him returning, he isn’t sure if he will be in the next film. Based on these comments, The Purge 6 seems to still be a few years off, meaning that fans of The Purge will have to keep waiting for a sequel to The Purge: Election Year.