4 min readChennaiMay 14, 2026 01:27 PM IST
Karuppu movie release update: For fans waiting for the release of RJ Balaji’s action thriller Karuppu, they may have to wait a few more hours — or even a few more days. The troubles over the release of the Suriya and Trisha-starrer are far from over. The film, which was scheduled to release in cinemas today on May 14, faced its first roadblock in the cancellation of its 9 am shows, for which Tamil Nadu’s new Chief Minister Vijay had granted “special permission” earlier this week. But the actual issue is much larger than just operational concerns.
Release stalled over unpaid dues
When the 9 am shows of Karuppu were cancelled last minute, some reports flagged a minor issue between the production house — SR Prabhu and SR Prakashbabu’s Dream Warrior Pictures — and the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Exhibitors’ Association over unpaid dues of Rs 10 crore. Additionally, the location charges for EVP Studios near Chennai have also not been settled.
While Dream Warrior Pictures seemed hopeful of releasing the film on schedule, fans began complaining on social media over the afternoon shows being cancelled and tickets being refunded to them. It’s then that SCREEN began probing and realized the issue dates back to the release of Raju Murugan’s 2023 action comedy Japan, starring Karthi, also backed by Dream Warrior Pictures.
“The distributors’ federation has urged theatres to either stop or cancel screenings for Karuppu, citing massive losses suffered by distributors from Karthi’s movie Japan, which was produced by the same production house,” a source from the production team told SCREEN. “Distributors in Tamil Nadu are demanding compensation, alleging that the losses, estimated to be around Rs 25 crore, have not been settled yet,” added the source.
Karthi’s Japan was also produced by Dream Warrior Pictures.
“They also claimed that producer Prabhu SR had borrowed huge sums and is yet to clear the dues. However, if the issue is resolved before 3 pm, evening shows will continue as scheduled,” the source claimed further. While producer SR Prabhu refused to comment on the matter, SCREEN has learnt that Dream Warrior Pictures and Suriya are currently in a meeting with the distributors’ federation trying to resolve the issue amicably.
While BookMyShow still displays evening shows of Karuppu available for booking, they’re likely to get cancelled and tickets are likely to get refunded in case the issue isn’t resolved by then. As per Sacnilk, the Suriya-starrer had already garnered Rs 7.2 crore via advance booking for its opening day, but that money is likely to go back to the audience if all shows for today get cancelled.
9 am shows cancelled
The first wave of panic among fans arrived on Wednesday when many of them took to social media to flag that they’re unable to book the 9 am shows of Karuppu on Thursday. The alarm was caused just a day after Dream Warrior Pictures had publicly thanked Vijay for granting “special permission” for the 9 am shows on Thursday and Friday, relaxing the Tamil Nadu government’s stance on having only four shows (and no early morning shows) for star vehicles on weekdays.
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Director RJ Balaji, who also plays a key role in the film, took to his X handle to reassure the angry fans on Wednesday evening. “Dearest fans, I dont have a concrete answer to the current situation. Producers are doing their best to solve the hurdles. This film has always had hurdles, and somehow God has made us sail through all that and here we are after 32 months. This time as well, I have faith, complete faith in him,” he wrote.
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However, just four hours later, late on Wednesday night, SR Prabhu tweeted, “Due to unavoidable reasons 9am shows will be cancelled for Karuppu. Our sincere apologies to everyone!” That only riled up the fans further, as they were informed of the cancellation of the first day first shows merely seven hours before the scheduled time.
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