Kannada film Premada Oorali has turned into a surprise box-office success, reportedly earning more than 17 times its production budget within just 16 days of release.
Made on a modest budget of around Rs 2.5 crore, the film has collected approximately Rs 43.45 crore gross in India so far, according to Sacnilk estimates.
Directed by Manoj Kumar, Premada Oorali had a very modest beginning at the box office. On its opening day, the film reportedly earned just around Rs 9 lakh from approximately 60 shows.
However, strong word of mouth gradually changed its fortunes.
As audience interest increased, both the number of shows and collections witnessed a massive jump. By Day 15, the film was reportedly running across 1,178 shows and collected around Rs 4.5 crore, with an occupancy of nearly 57%.
By then, its India gross collection had reached around Rs 39.05 crore, while its India net collection stood at approximately Rs 33.47 crore.
With its overall India gross now estimated at Rs 43.45 crore, Premada Oorali has earned more than 17 times its reported Rs 2.5 crore production cost.
What began as a small Kannada release with limited shows has therefore emerged as one of the notable sleeper hits, proving once again that strong audience support can dramatically change the box-office journey of a low-budget film.