“The Forever Purge,” the fifth film in “The Purge” horror franchise, has been pulled from the release calendar by Universal and Blumhouse Pictures.
It was originally scheduled to open on July 10, 2020. No new release date has been set.
“The Forever Purge” is directed by Everardo Gout and written by the franchise creator James DeMonaco. It’s a follow-up to 2018’s prequel movie “The First Purge,” which grossed $137 million worldwide and was the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
The film is produced by the series’ founding producers: Jason Blum for his Blumhouse Productions, Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller and Man in a Tree duo James DeMonaco and his longtime producing partner Sébastien K. Lemercier. The film’s executive producers are Marcei A. Brown, Couper Samuelson and Jeanette Volturno.
With “The Forever Purge” shifted from the calendar, the biggest studio release next up on the calendar is Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” from Warner Bros., which currently is slated to open on July 17. The Russell Crowe thriller “Unhinged” from Solstice Studios was also slated for July 1 as a way to kick start the reopening of theaters.
But Universal, like every other studio, has been forced to juggle its release calendar for this summer and beyond, starting with moving its biggest two tentpoles, the “Fast & Furious” sequel “F9” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru” both to the summer of 2021. Universal did, however, see success with its digital release of “Trolls World Tour,” which grossed over $100 million in its first three weeks of release through premium VOD rentals.
Next up on the release calendar for Universal is “Candyman,” the horror remake directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele. That film will open on Sept. 25, 2020.