Rajinikanth’s much-anticipated ‘Coolie’ and Hrithik Roshan–Jr NTR’s ‘War 2’ went head-to-head at the box office on August 14, delivering a massive opening day clash. While both films drew in large crowds, it was the Thalaivaa’s latest outing that emerged as the clear winner in terms of collections, setting fresh records for Tamil cinema worldwide.
Coolie storms past competition with historic opening
Lokesh Kanagaraj’s ‘Coolie’, featuring Rajinikanth in the titular role alongside Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, Upendra, and a cameo from Aamir Khan, raked in around ₹65 crore net in India on its first day, according to early estimates from Sacnilk. That makes it the second-highest domestic opening for a Tamil film, just behind Vijay’s ‘Leo’ (₹66 crore), and ahead of Rajini’s own 2.0 (₹60 crore).
Globally, the film shattered previous records for Tamil cinema, with Sun Pictures announcing an unprecedented ₹151 crore worldwide haul on opening day. This includes $3.04 million in North America, £124K in the UK, and Aus $535K in Australia, all new benchmarks for a Tamil release. This opening surpasses Leo’s ₹142.5 crore and even outpaces the first-day numbers of Hindi blockbusters like ‘Jawan’, ‘Animal’, and ‘Pathaan’.
War 2 posts strong but second-place start
‘War 2’, directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by YRF, earned ₹52.50 crore net in India on day one. While impressive, the number falls short of both ‘War’ (₹53 crore) and ‘Pathaan’ (₹57 crore). Occupancy was strongest in southern markets, with Chennai at 71% and Hyderabad at 65%, while Hindi belt cities like Mumbai and NCR recorded lower figures.
Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, who star alongside Kiara Advani, had requested audiences ahead of release to avoid sharing spoilers. “The best way to experience this cinematic spectacle is in the theatres as the constant twists and turns of this dramatic story unfold in front of your eyes,” Hrithik said. Tarak added, “Spoilers are no fun… Please give us a lot of love and let the story of War 2 be a secret to everyone.”
Clash verdict: Rajini reigns supreme
While both films benefited from the Independence Day holiday boost, the numbers tell a clear story, ‘Coolie’ not only beat ‘War 2’ at the box office but also set a new all-time Tamil industry record for opening day collections worldwide. If trends hold, the Rajinikanth starrer could challenge 2.0’s lifetime gross of ₹691 crore.
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