Director Will Gluck has responded to online comparisons between his new romantic comedy One Night Only and Blumhouse's dystopian Purge franchise, saying he understands why viewers are drawing the parallel. Speaking to SlashFilm, Gluck said he was aware of the "sex Purge" discourse but wanted the film to focus on its central characters rather than dwelling on the bleak premise underpinning its world.

One Night Only, now in cinemas from Universal, stars Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro as two New Yorkers who meet on the single night each year when premarital sex is legal under a "chastity mandate". Gluck said he aimed to explain the dystopian setting without letting it overwhelm the story, presenting both sides of the situation while keeping the focus on his two leads navigating one chaotic night. The comparison echoes The Purge, the Blumhouse horror franchise launched in 2013, in which all crime becomes legal for one 12-hour period each year, though Gluck's film keeps a far lighter tone.