Karuppu, which was originally scheduled to release in theatres on Thursday, May 14, was delayed by a day due to financial issues involving distributors.
The film finally arrived in theatres on Friday, and its opening has surprised trade circles.
Since the release was postponed at the last minute, many expected the film to take a hit on its opening day. However, the collections turned out to be stronger than expected.
In fact, Karuppu has recorded the biggest opening for a Kollywood film at the Indian box office in 2026.
Despite Thursday’s advance bookings going to waste, the enthusiasm among fans did not drop.
They turned up in big numbers on Friday, and the delay appears to have helped the film by consolidating fan turnout.
With the initial word of mouth also being favourable, the film managed to attract neutral audiences as well.
In the main Tamil version, Karuppu opened with 25 percent occupancy in the morning shows and jumped to 46 percent in the afternoon.
The evening shows saw another rise to 53 percent, while the night shows recorded an excellent 75 percent occupancy, clearly showing the positive impact of word of mouth.
The Telugu version also opened decently, registering an average occupancy of 28 percent throughout the day.
Backed by strong occupancy, Karuppu collected a solid Rs 15.5 crore net at the Indian box office on day one, according to Sacnilk.
The Tamil version contributed Rs 13.1 crore, while the Telugu version added Rs 2.4 crore. The film’s gross total stood at Rs 18.29 crore.
With Rs 15.5 crore net, Karuppu has registered the biggest Kollywood opening of 2026, surpassing Parasakthi, which collected Rs 12.35 crore.
The start is surprising, as a double-digit opening was expected, but very few anticipated the film crossing the Rs 15 crore mark, especially on a non-holiday release.
