Will Gluck Addresses 1-Night 'Sex Purge' Comparisons for New Rom-Com

Q: Why did the director of a new dystopian rom-com secretly cut adult scenes from his highly anticipated movie?

He cut them because test audiences reacted badly to the nudity and explicit background sex, and he felt it distracted from the romance rather than helping the story. Will Gluck said *One Night Only* originally featured much more nudity, including street scenes meant to sell the film’s dystopian world where premarital sex is legal only one night a year. But during screenings, viewers became visibly uncomfortable. He told *Variety* that when audiences saw naked people or explicit sexual activity, they physically turned to the person next to them and lost focus on the main characters. That response led Gluck to keep trimming the material in editing. His view was that the “benefits do not nearly outweigh the negatives” if those moments pull viewers out of the film. He has linked that reaction to a broader shift in audience behavior, arguing that many moviegoers now see nudity as more private and less welcome in a shared theater setting. The decision also fits his larger approach to the film. Gluck has repeatedly said he did not want *One Night Only* to be defined only by its “sex Purge” premise. Instead, he wanted the movie to play primarily as a character-driven romantic comedy centered on Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner’s relationship, with the dystopian setup and adult content kept in the background rather than overpowering the emotional arc.

3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Aug 8

Will Gluck said he is "very aware" of online claims that One Night Only plays like a "sex Purge," but said he did not want the film defined by that comparison.
The Universal release, now in theaters, centers on two New Yorkers who meet on the one night each year premarital sex is legal under a U.S. "chastity mandate."
Gluck said the film aims to stay focused on the two leads navigating "this crazy night," explaining the world without letting its politics overwhelm the romance.
The comparison draws on The Purge's 12-hour premise—crime is legal for one night a year in the Blumhouse franchise, which has expanded to five films and a TV series since 2013.