Most profitable Indian movie 2024 is a love story: Not Stree 2, Pushpa 2 or Kalki 2898 AD; now streaming on OTT

Premalu, a Malayalam romantic drama, has emerged as the most profitable Indian film of 2024, overshadowing big-budget blockbusters like Pushpa 2, Kalki 2898 AD and Stree 2 in terms of return on investment.

Made on a modest budget of just ₹3 crore, the film earned ₹131.18 crore at the box office, as per Sacnilk. It achieved a profit margin of nearly 44 times its budget. Some media reports claim it was made with ₹9 crore. Still, it made over 14.5 times its budget.

Bollywood movie Stree 2 grossed ₹875 crore, making about 14.5 times its ₹60 crore budget even though some reports suggest it was ₹90 crore. Premalu’s profit margin, however, stands out as a rare achievement, especially for a small-budget film with no big stars.

Directed by Girish AD, Premalu is a coming-of-age romantic drama that delves into the complexities of young love. The film features newcomers Naslen K. Gafoor and Mamitha Baiju in lead roles, supported by a talented cast including Sangeeth Prathap, Akhila Bhargavan, Shyam Mohan, Meenakshi Raveendran, Mathew Thomas and Althaf Salim.

Despite a slow start in theatres, Premalu gained momentum through strong word-of-mouth publicity. By the end of its run, it became not only one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year but also one of the most profitable films in Indian cinema history.

Secret Superstar has achieved similar success compared to their budgets. The movie minted ₹912.75 crore after having been made with a budget of ₹15 crore in 2016. The movie stars Zaira Wasim, who later announced her retirement from acting at the age of 19.

In contrast, big-budget films like Pushpa 2, despite grossing ₹1,800 crore worldwide, only achieved a profit margin of five times its ₹350 crore budget. Similarly, Kalki 2898 AD, which grossed ₹1,200 crore, earned double its ₹600 crore production cost.

Premalu on OTT

The Malayalam love triangle was released in theatres in February 2024. The movie started streaming on OTT in April 2024. Disney+ Hotstar streams the movie in three languages, Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi. The Telugu version is streaming on Aha.