20 Huge Horror Movie Hits NOBODY Expected

Before it came out, so much of the discussion surrounding The Purge involved mocking its "absurd" premise, that any American government would dare institute something as dystopian as an annual night of state-sponsored murder and mayhem.

Yeah, about that...

But neither the pre-release skepticism nor mixed reviews did much to hamper The Purge's box office momentum, as it went on to gross $91.3 million on an insanely low $3 million budget. The budget was famously kept low by shooting most of the movie in a single house, and star Ethan Hawke taking a paltry upfront salary of just $10,000 in exchange for hefty backend compensation - a gamble which paid off handsomely as he reportedly walked away with $2 million.

In an era of increasing political turbulence, audiences seemed to connect with The Purge's provocative, darkly satirical ideas, enough that a franchise was born, encompassing five movies which have grossed over $530 million combined to date, against a total budget of only $53 million.