Thalaivar power: Rajinikanth's Coolie storms past Rs 4 billion, can it outrun Vikram by Week 1?

Rajinikanth is speeding right past the competition. Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie, which hit theatres on August 14, has already bulldozed its way past the Rs 400 crore mark worldwide in just five days. And that’s with Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s War 2 breathing down its neck.

According to Sun Pictures, the film raked in Rs 404 crore gross worldwide in its opening weekend. Trade tracker Sacnilk’s estimates: Rs 206.50 crore net and Rs 44.55 crore gross in India, plus Rs 157.45 crore from overseas, bringing the official worldwide tally to Rs 403 crore in five days.

Either way, the math adds up to one thing, Coolie is now one of Rajinikanth’s biggest hits ever. Only 2.0 (2018) with Rs 691 crore and Jailer (2023) with Rs 604.5 crore stand taller. With Enthiran (2010), Darbar (2020), and Petta (2019) already left in the dust, Coolie is officially in the superstar’s all-time top three.

But Rajinikanth is not just competing with himself. To truly seal the deal, Coolie still has to outgun Lokesh Kanagaraj’s own blockbusters—Leo (Rs 605.9 crore) and Vikram (Rs 414.43 crore). At the pace this train is running, though, don’t be surprised if Coolie makes that leap sooner than later.

Clearly, the Thalaivar fever is a full-blown festival. In Dubai, the euphoria reached such heights that one office actually gave its employees a holiday just to watch the film. And on day one: Fans were already queuing up at 2:30 am, breaking into dance and turning theatres into party zones, not just for the release of Rajinikanth’s latest, but to celebrate 50 glorious years of the superstar in cinema.