May 16, 2026 2:00pm IST
Box Office: Suriya Strikes Back as ‘Karuppu’ Takes Solid Start Despite Release-day Chaos
Tamil superstar Suriya's “Karuppu” might finally end his bad spell at the box office. The action entertainer has opened to an encouraging ₹14.50 crore net (₹17 crore gross) on Friday despite facing last-minute release cancellation and widespread confusion among audiences.
The film was initially scheduled to release on Thursday (May 14), but financial hurdles forced the producers to cancel the release, and eventually, it hit cinemas a day later on Friday (May 15). The sudden postponement and uncertainties around its release adversely hampered the film during morning shows, but it gained momentum as the day progressed. Positive reviews and strong word of mouth further accelerated the buzz, positioning the film for a healthy opening.
Although the first-day collection of “Karuppu” is not that extraordinary compared to his previous big-budget movies like “Retro” (₹19.24 cr) and “Kanguva” (₹24 cr), what works in favor of this film is the audience reception. Unlike those films, which opened strongly but immediately crashed at the box office due to poor content, “Karuppu” has garnered positive word-of-mouth, raising hopes for a stable and respectable theatrical run.
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Advance booking trends for Saturday indicate an excellent weekend for "Karuppu." However, whether it ultimately emerges as a much-needed success for Suriya will depend largely on how it holds during weekdays. As of now, the film is the No. 1 choice among audiences across key Southern markets. Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala have all reported strong occupancies, signaling Suriya's comeback in the big league and reforming his standing as a major crowd-puller at the box office.
Suriya needed a mass entertainer to revive his box office fortune, and “Karuppu” seems to be delivering exactly that. The craze for this film is so high that it sold 7,00,000 tickets on BookMyShow for both Tamil and Telugu versions on May 15 alone. This marks the fourth-highest Tamil film and the highest ever for a Suriya starrer in terms of ticket sales on BMS on release day.
(Figures are taken from RecoBee.)
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