Jan 03, 2025 12:36 PM IST
This tiny film with no stars earned 45 times its budget at the box office, eclipsing some of the biggest Indian blockbusters of the year.
2024 was a blockbuster year for Indian cinema. Two films crossed ₹1000 crore at the global box office, and one came close to the mark. One could argue that these three films – Pushpa 2: The Rule, Kalki 2898 AD, and Stree 2 – were the biggest box office hits of the year. However, if one talks about the most profitable Indian film – that crown went to a ₹3 crore film with no big stars. (Also read: World’s most profitable film of 2024 earned 45x its budget, beat Joker 2, bigger hit than Pushpa 2, Deadpool & Wolverine)
India’s most profitable film of 2024
Malayalam romantic drama Premalu is the most profitable Indian film of 2024. Made on a budget of just ₹3 crore with no big names in the cast, the film had a lukewarm start but built solidly via word of mouth. In the end, it earned a staggering ₹136 crore, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. The 45x profit it earned was the highest for any Indian film this year and one of the highest ever.
How Premalu 3 beat Pushpa 2, Kalki 2898 AD, Stree 2
Premalu’s 45x profit margin makes it one of the biggest success stories in Indian cinema history. Only Secret Superstar and Jai Santoshi Maa managed bigger box office returns compared to their budgets. Bigger films can never come close to this number as their production budgets are too high. For instance, Pushpa 2 is the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024, with ₹1800 crore gross. But that number is just five times its budget of ₹350 crore. Kalki 2898 AD’s profit percentage is just twice of its ₹600-crore budget. Stree 2 was Bollywood’s big winner of the year, but even its ₹875 crore gross is around 10 times its ₹90 crore budget.
About Premalu
Directed by Girish AD, Premalu is a coming-of-age romantic drama. It stars newcomers Naslen K. Gafoor and Mamitha Baiju, alongside Sangeeth Prathap, Akhila Bhargavan, Shyam Mohan, Meenakshi Raveendran, Mathew Thomas and Althaf Salim.
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