'The Purge' has a sequel in development

The Purge scared up quite the box office haul this weekend. Well-surpassing its low budget in its first days in theaters, the Ethan Hawke thriller has already earned what seems to be an increasingly common next step for financially successful movies: a sequel.

Producer Jason Blum’s company tweeted the news, and a Universal rep confirmed to EW that the studio is indeed on board for a sequel with Blum on as producer.

Universal produced The Purge — which imagines a society where once a year for a 12-hour period all crime is allowed — for only $3 million, and it earned $36.4 million during its first weekend in theaters.

Building a franchise out of a horror/thriller is nothing new for Blum; he produced all four Paranormal Activity films.

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