The First Purge is a 2018 American dystopian action horror film directed by Gerard McMurray and starring Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, and Steve Harris.

The film is a prequel depicting the origins of the annual "Purge", a 12-hour span once a year in which all crime in America, including murder, rape and arson, is decriminalized; it originates as an experiment confined to Staten Island with the promise that those who stay on the island for its duration will be paid a large sum of money, but a new political party, the New Founding Fathers, is determined to get the results they want by any means necessary.

Later that year, NFFA chief of staff Arlo Sabian and sociologist Dr. May Updale announce an experiment to take place on Staten Island: for 12 hours, citizens will be allowed to release their inhibitions in any way they choose, including murder.

Drug dealer Capital A disobeys and joins the Purge, while a rookie named Isaiah is attacked and injured by Skeletor.

As people flee Staten Island, Nya joins her friends Dolores, Luisa, and Selina in a church to wait out the Purge.

When Skeletor disrupts a party taking place and Isaiah is unable to muster the courage to kill him, he runs off into more Purgers before hiding and calling Nya for help.

Reviewing the video footage of the Purge, she notices vans full of masked killers arriving and realizes that they are mercenary groups killing civilians.

Realizing they were sent by the NFFA, who had also planted weapons in the area to provoke participation, Dmitri and his crew decide to take a stand against them and protect the neighborhood.

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.

[10] 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.

According to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board of the Philippines (MTRCB), the film contains mature themes, racism, excessive violence, sex and nudity, strong language, and drug use that may not be suitable for viewers under eighteen years old.

[2] In the United States and Canada, The First Purge was released on July 4, 2018, and was projected to gross around $25–36 million from 3,031 theaters over its five-day opening weekend.

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.