Rajinikanth's Coolie hits Rs1 billion for opening weekend: His top 5 biggest box office hits
Rajinikanth's Coolie dominates box office despite competition
Despite launching alongside Bollywood’s War 2 featuring Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR, Coolie has proven unstoppable. Reports from Sacnilk, the industry tracker and Business Today confirm that pre-sales hit a staggering Rs100 crore, globally even before opening day — with Rs80 crore already secured in pre-sales by day one.
Opening day statistics:
Pre-sales in India: Rs50 cr+, overseas: Rs60 cr (Rs45 cr on just one day)
Total weekend advance booking: Rs110 cr+; day 1 bookings, Rs80 cr
In the US, Coolie became the first Tamil film to surpass $2 million in premiere pre-sales.
Why this matters
Breaks the previous record held by Leo for Tamil film advance sales
Sets the pace for what could be the biggest opening ever for an Indian film — pre-release – surpassing Ram Charan's Game Changer
Strategic Independence Day weekend release with a festive holiday boost
The ensemble cast, including Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, and Soubin Shahir, along with Lokesh Kanagaraj’s tight direction and Anirudh Ravichander’s electrifying score, has turned buzz into box-office reality.
Top 5 highest-grossing Rajinikanth films (Worldwide, lifetime)
Here’s a snapshot of Rajinikanth’s biggest global hits.
2.0 (2018) – Rs700 crore (equivalent to ₹936 crore or $110 million in 2023)–₹800 (equivalent to ₹11 billion or $130 million in 2023)
Kabali (2016) – Rs305 crore
Jailer (2023) – Rs605–650 crore
Enthiran (Robot, 2010) – Rs283- 320 crore
Vettaiyan (2024) – ₹250 crore
How Coolie’s opening stacks up
With Rs110 cr+ pre-sales for the opening weekend, Coolie is on track to challenge the openings of Rajinikanth’s previous top films.
The true test comes post-release: Can word of mouth maintain momentum and convert advance buzz into historic lifetime earnings?
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