While critics have not been so warm to "The Purge," its opening weekend box office earnings says otherwise with moviegoers, earning more than $36 million while "The Internship" only made $18 million.

With a micro-budget of $3 million, "The Purge" made that back in its Thursday evening screenings alone, and 12 times as much through its first Sunday, reported Time.

The horror film is about a dystopian future where all laws are suspended for 12 hours to give cathartic relief to citizens so as to maintain lawfulness the rest of the time.

"As Friday came around the numbers started coming on, the movie went beyond what anyone ever thought was at all possible," mused "The Purge" producer Jason Blum, who also worked on the "Paranormal Activities" franchise with similar success.

Currently, the movie holds a 41 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with most agreeing that while it is "half social allegory, half home-invasion thriller, [the movie] ultimately only ends up sinking in numbing violence and tired clichés.

Still, the premise seemed interesting enough to gather viewers in droves.

"Every once in a while a movie comes around that has a premise that just captures people," said the chief correspondent for Fandango, Dave Karger.

"'The Purge' is one of these movies."

Blum's projects, which also include other micro-budget films such as "Insidious" and "Sinister," is a testament to the popularity of the horror genre, reports USA Today.

"The surge on 'The Purge' is a testament to the fact that horror films are among the most consistent performers at the box office," said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

"'The Purge" is providing some much-needed horror-type relief from the typical summer fare. And it's a profit machine."

As such a surprise summer hit, no doubt Blum will capitalize and turn it into a franchise, much like "Paranormal Activities."