Superstar Rajinikanth once again demonstrated his unparalleled box office pull with his new release, Coolie. The action thriller, helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, recorded a deafening opening, grossing a whopping ₹65 crore (India net) on its opening day, according to industry monitor Sacnilk. This is the largest domestic opening of Rajinikanth’s storied career.
Globally, Coolie raked in an impressive ₹170 crore on day one, according to trade analyst Ramesh Bala. The film’s record-breaking performance comes despite competition from another major pan-India release — Ayan Mukerji’s War 2, featuring Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, and Kiara Advani, which managed ₹52 crore despite lukewarm reviews.
Compared to other movies in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s own Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), Coolie outdid Kaithi (₹6.4 cr) and Vikram (₹37.5 cr), but missed Leo, which released at ₹76.2 crore and went on to collect ₹341 crore. Still, though, Coolie beat Rajinikanth’s earlier blockbusters such as Jailer (₹48.35 cr), 2.0 (₹23 cr), Petta (₹14 cr), and Vettaiyan (₹31.5 cr).
The day-wise occupancy of the film across the country was uniformly high during the day, with an average of 86.99%. Morning shows saw 81.95% occupancy, 85.13% in the afternoons, 86.57% during the evenings, and 94.32% at nights.
Also Read: 36,000 TICKETS GONE IN HINDI! Rajnikanth’s Coolie rocks day 1 advance bookings in top chains
With a galaxy of stars including Nagarjuna Akkineni, Aamir Khan, Shruti Haasan, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, and Sathyaraj, Coolie is as much a visual treat as it is a mass entertainer with robust performances. As the film goes on its running stratus, everyone is watching to see if it can overtake Leo’s lifetime total and stay strong despite strong box office competition
