Rajinikanth’s Coolie Beats War 2 in Biggest Box Office Clash of The Year

It has been a long time since Indian cinema witnessed a box office clash of this scale. On one side was War 2, bringing together two of today’s biggest stars, Bollywood’s Hrithik Roshan and Tollywood’s Jr NTR, under Yash Raj Films’ celebrated Spy Universe banner. On the other side was Rajinikanth, the original pan-India superstar, leading Lokesh Kanagaraj’s action thriller Coolie, supported by a star-studded cast from different industries. The stage was set for an all-India showdown, and when the first day ended, it was the 74-year-old legend who stole the spotlight.

War 2 arrived with sky-high expectations after the success of its first part and other Spy Universe blockbusters like Pathaan. With Jr NTR’s presence, the film was expected to dominate in the South as well. However, its opening day earnings of Rs 52.50 crore net fell slightly short of War’s Rs 53 crore opening and well below Pathaan’s Rs 57 crore. Coolie, on the other hand, stormed ahead, earning Rs 65 crore net on its first day in India. This became Rajinikanth’s biggest-ever opening, surpassing Enthiran, and he achieved this despite having fewer screens nationwide.

In the South, Coolie was unstoppable in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where the Tamil version recorded an impressive 87 percent occupancy. The real surprise came from the Telugu version, which sold out shows in Chennai and recorded 92 percent occupancy across the state. This even beat Jr NTR’s own War 2, which managed 75 percent. In Hyderabad, Coolie continued to lead with 97 percent occupancy, while War 2 had 76 percent. This showed Rajinikanth’s incredible reach even in markets traditionally dominated by Telugu cinema stars.

The Hindi belt saw a similar trend. Despite Hrithik Roshan’s mass appeal, Coolie’s Hindi-dubbed version drew 36 percent occupancy across the country and almost 50 percent in Lucknow, compared to War 2’s 29 percent nationwide and 42 percent in Lucknow. War 2 still earned more in Hindi and Telugu overall due to having more shows, but Coolie managed to make a mark in both films’ strongholds. With such a commanding start, Rajinikanth has once again proved his unmatched popularity, and now all eyes are on how this box office battle unfolds over the weekend.

See Also: Rajnikanth’s Charisma Shines in The Lokesh Kanagaraj’s High-Octane Coolie Trailer