While 2025 has seen major blockbuster releases like Chhaava, L2: Empuraan, and Sitaare Zameen Par, it is a small Tamil comedy that has quietly delivered the biggest shock of the year. Tourist Family, a modestly budgeted slice-of-life entertainer, has emerged as the most profitable Indian film of 2025 so far. Directed by Abishan Jeevinth and produced on a shoestring budget of Rs 7 crore, the film has grossed over Rs 90 crore globally, earning a staggering 1200 percent return on investment.
Released on April 29 without much fanfare, Tourist Family featured no major stars. The cast includes M. Sasikumar, Simran, Mithun Jai Sankar, and Kamalesh Jagan, a lineup that might not have generated big pre-release buzz, but delivered performances that clicked deeply with audiences. The film resonated strongly due to its relatable storytelling, family-centric humour, and emotional simplicity. It collected Rs 23 crore in its first week alone, and by the second week, word-of-mouth had catapulted its collections to Rs 29 crore. By the end of its five-week theatrical run, the domestic total stood at Rs 62 crore, with another Rs 28 crore coming from international markets.
The numbers are remarkable considering the landscape this year. Chhaava, which is currently the highest-grossing Indian film with a massive Rs 808 crore global haul, was made on a much higher Rs 90 crore budget. That gives Chhaava an impressive 800 percent profit margin, but still places it behind Tourist Family in pure returns. Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par delivered solid business with Rs 260 crore on a Rs 65 crore budget, clocking a 300 percent profit margin. Yet even this figure fades next to the performance of the Tamil sleeper hit.
The contrast becomes even sharper when you look at big-ticket releases like Housefull 5 and Salman Khan’s Sikandar, which struggled to recoup their massive budgets despite earning decent box office numbers. Their profitability suffered because of inflated production costs, showing once again that a big budget does not guarantee big profits.
The success of Tourist Family marks another win for regional cinema in 2025. Alongside it, Malayalam film Thudarum posted an impressive 720 percent profit margin, and other regional hits like Dragon and Sankranthiki Vasthunam continued to prove that sharp storytelling and lower budgets can often deliver far greater returns than star-studded spectacles.
Tourist Family is not just a financial success story. It is a reminder that sometimes, the most heartfelt and relatable stories are the ones that audiences rally behind the hardest. It proves that box office success is no longer just about scale or stardom. It’s about connection.
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