After facing many last minute problems before release, Karuppu finally arrived in theatres on May 15 and received a strong response from audiences. Starring Suriya and Trisha Krishnan, the action drama opened in packed theatres across Tamil Nadu with fans celebrating the release in a big way. Despite financial troubles and cancelled screenings just a day before release, the film managed to make an impressive start at the box office.
According to early reports from Sacnilk, Karuppu earned around ₹14.40 crore net in India on its first day. The film was screened in nearly 4,900 shows and recorded an overall occupancy of more than 50 percent. Morning shows started slowly with around 24 percent occupancy, but the numbers kept improving as the day went on. Afternoon and evening shows saw a much better turnout, while night shows recorded an excellent 75 percent occupancy, showing strong word of mouth and fan excitement.
The film also performed well overseas and reportedly collected around ₹4 crore from international markets. This pushed the film’s total worldwide gross collection to over ₹20 crore on its opening day itself.
Even with this solid start, Karuppu could not beat the opening day collection of Kanguva, which remains Suriya’s biggest opener till date. Released in November 2024, Kanguva had earned ₹22 crore net on its first day in India. Before that, Singam II held the record among Suriya’s films.
One of the biggest highlights of Karuppu is the reunion of Suriya and Trisha Krishnan after nearly two decades. The two actors were last seen together in Aaru in 2005, making their comeback pairing special for fans.
The journey to release was not smooth at all. On May 14, fans were disappointed after all screenings of the film were suddenly cancelled because of financial issues faced by producer S. R. Prabhu from Dream Warrior Pictures. This created confusion and worry among moviegoers.
Later, Suriya personally shared an update on social media and thanked fans for supporting the team during the difficult situation. He posted new release posters and expressed gratitude for the patience and love shown by fans.
Directed by RJ Balaji, Karuppu features Suriya in the role of a fighter who is also a lawyer and knows how to win battles both physically and legally. The film also stars Yogi Babu, Indrans, Sshivada and Natty Subramaniam in important roles.