France's Interior Ministry said police detained at least 116 people following violent incidents in several cities on Halloween night.
[Ads /]
Police fired tear gas overnight at groups who threw projectiles and set cars and garbage bins on fire in the city center of Lyon, in eastern France.
The Purge is a series of films based on a single night, where all crime is legal.
Similar incidents were reported in Nantes and Rennes, in the west, and in Toulouse in the south, in what has become a yearly ritual by some youth on Halloween night. Some stores were also looted in Paris suburbs.
[Ads /]
Thursday's statement said some of those initially detained were already released.
The ministry said police deployments were reinforced because of messages circulating on social media calling for a "purge" of police.
Authorities said the number of incidents appeared to be lower than last year.