‘Coolie’ becomes Rajinikanth’s third biggest hit in India

Rajinikanth has once again proven why he remains the undisputed superstar of Indian cinema. His latest release, Coolie directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, has stormed the box office and officially emerged as the megastar’s third biggest hit in India, standing tall behind 2.0 (2018) and Jailer (2023).Released with massive anticipation, Coolie opened to a thunderous Rs 65 crore Day 1, the highest-ever for Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu. The film’s first weekend collections were rock solid, with Rs 54.75 crore on Friday, Rs 39.5 crore on Saturday, and Rs 35.25 crore on Sunday, taking the opening four-day total to Rs 194.5 crore. Despite the usual weekday drop, the film still managed to earn Rs 12 crore on Monday and an estimated Rs 9.5 crore on Tuesday, pushing its six-day India total to Rs 216 crore.When compared to Rajinikanth’s previous blockbusters, Coolie is now firmly positioned as his third-biggest grosser in India. 2.0, directed by Shankar, remains on top with a mammoth Rs 407.05 crore India net, followed by Nelson’s Jailer, which amassed Rs 348.55 crore during its run. Coolie though has been losing audience with each passing day but it is still running strong with the current trend the film is eyeing a lifetime total in the Rs 275-300 crore range if the films gets a huge push in the coming weekend.The film’s success highlights Rajinikanth’s enduring box office power even in an era dominated by younger stars and pan-India spectacles. Unlike 2.0, which was mounted as a high-budget sci-fi extravaganza with a wider Hindi market appeal, and Jailer, which benefitted from tremendous word-of-mouth, Coolie is a more mass-oriented Rajinikanth vehicle. Yet, its ability to pull in over Rs 200 crore within a week underscores the superstar’s unshakable connect with audiences.For context, recent South biggies from contemporaries haven’t delivered with the same consistency. While Jailer and Pushpa 2 broke records, many other star vehicles have seen steep drops post-opening. In contrast, Rajinikanth’s films have continued to command historic openings and sustained runs, proving his unparalleled stature across decades.With Coolie officially becoming his third highest-grossing film in India, Rajinikanth now holds the rare distinction of delivering three of Tamil cinema’s all-time biggest blockbusters in different genres and phases of his career. At 74, the Thalaivar shows no signs of slowing down, reminding the industry why he remains its most bankable icon. His next is going to be Jailer 2 with Nelson with talks already happening about collaborating with Lokesh again for a film with Kamal Haasan.