Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for The First Purge?

Directed by Gerard McMurray, with Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade leading the cast, The First Purge was produced by Platinum Dunes with a confirmed budget of $13,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for action films as part of the The Purge Collection.

At $13,000,000, The First Purge was produced on a modest budget. Lower-budget films benefit from reduced break-even thresholds, with profitability achievable at approximately $32,500,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• Miss Sloane (2016): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $9,101,546 → ROI: -30% • RoboCop (1987): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $53,424,681 → ROI: 311% • The Godfather Part II (1974): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $102,600,000 → ROI: 689% • The Holdovers (2023): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $42,513,270 → ROI: 227% • In the Name of the Father (1993): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $65,796,862 → ROI: 406%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects Action films allocate a substantial portion of their budget to choreographing and executing practical stunts, pyrotechnics, and CGI-heavy sequences. For large-scale productions, VFX alone can account for 20–30% of the total budget, with additional costs for stunt coordinators, rigging, and safety crews.

▸ Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) A-list talent commands significant upfront fees plus backend participation. Lead actors in major action franchises typically earn $10–25 million per film, with directors often receiving comparable compensation packages tied to box office performance.

▸ Production Design, Sets & Locations Action films frequently require multiple international shooting locations, large-scale set construction, vehicle acquisitions and modifications, and specialized equipment — all of which drive production costs well above those of dialogue-driven genres.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Steve Harris, Mugga Key roles: Y'lan Noel as Dmitri Cimber; Lex Scott Davis as Nya Charms; Joivan Wade as Isaiah Charms; Steve Harris as Freddy

DIRECTOR: Gerard McMurray CINEMATOGRAPHY: Anastas N. Michos MUSIC: Kevin Lax EDITING: Jim Page PRODUCTION: Platinum Dunes, Blumhouse Productions, Universal Pictures, Man in a Tree Productions FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

The First Purge earned $137,056,262 in worldwide box office revenue.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), The First Purge needed approximately $32,500,000 to break even. The film surpassed this threshold by $104,556,262.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $137,056,262 Budget: $13,000,000 Net: $124,056,262 ROI: 954.3%

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Highly Profitable

The First Purge was a clear financial success, generating $137,056,262 worldwide against a $13,000,000 production budget — a 954% ROI. After estimated marketing costs, the film still delivered substantial profit to Platinum Dunes.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

Franchise: The First Purge is part of the The Purge Collection.

The outsized success of The First Purge likely influenced studio greenlight decisions for similar action projects.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Production

In September 2016, James DeMonaco, the creator of the franchise, said that the fourth film, a follow-up to 2016's The Purge: Election Year, would be a prequel to the trilogy, showing how the United States came to the point of accepting the Purge Night. On February 17, 2017, DeMonaco announced that the fourth installment in The Purge franchise was in development at Universal Pictures. DeMonaco did not return as director, but wrote the script and produced the film, with Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions, Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller of Platinum Dunes, and Sébastien K. Lemercier. In July 2017, Gerard McMurray, the director of Sundance film Burning Sands, was hired to direct the film from the script by DeMonaco.

On September 19, 2017, newcomers Y'lan Noel and Lex Scott Davis were cast in the film as the lead characters, and the setting was announced as Staten Island. Principal photography began in mid-September 2017 in Buffalo, New York. Filming wrapped on November 8, 2017. Kevin Lax composed the score for the film, replacing Nathan Whitehead. Back Lot Music released the soundtrack.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

No awards data currently available for this title.

CRITICAL RECEPTION

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 55% based on 177 reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "The First Purge should satisfy fans of the franchise and filmgoers in the mood for violent vicarious thrills, even if its subtextual reach exceeds its grasp." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.