Superstar Rajinikanth is on the verge of creating box office history once again by toppling his own record. The actor’s latest outing, Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, has registered staggering advance booking numbers, setting the stage for an opening that could challenge the benchmark he set back in 2018 with 2.0.Back then, 2.0, co-starring Akshay Kumar and directed by Shankar, opened to a record-smashing Rs 60.25 crore in India across all languages on its first day. Six years later, Coolie is primed to chase down that milestone, riding on unprecedented audience excitement and a star-studded ensemble.
Massive advance bookings
According to early data, Coolie has clocked an advance booking gross of Rs 37.2 crore from 1.73 million tickets sold across India without counting block seats. Factoring in those blocked seats, the figure jumps to a staggering Rs 46.36 crore, putting the film well within striking distance of 2.0’s opening day total even before the first show has rolled out.Breaking down the numbers, the Tamil version leads the charge with Rs 27.92 crore from over 1.29 million tickets, spread across 7,235 shows with the rest coming in from Telugu, Hindi and Kannada versions. The combined show count for all languages stands at 13,083, a testament to the scale at which Coolie is rolling out nationwide.The buzz around Coolie has been fuelled by the blockbuster combination of Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj, one of Tamil cinema’s most successful contemporary directors. Known for creating high-energy, mass-entertainer spectacles, Lokesh has previously delivered back-to-back blockbusters, and his collaboration with the Superstar marks a dream pairing for fans.The cast only adds to the film’s appeal, with prominent names such as Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, Upendra, and even Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan in a pivotal role. By 10 AM the film has already minted Rs 14.25 crore. Trade analysts point out that with such a high advance booking figure and the expected surge in spot bookings Coolie could potentially breach the RS 60 crore mark on day one, making it the biggest opener in Rajinikanth’s career and one of the top openings in Indian cinema history.With just advance booking numbers Coolie sits on 3rd spot and Jailer being on 2nd spot with Rs 48 crore collection. Even if Coolie fails to beat 2.0’s numbers as it has less shows thanks to clash with War 2 starring Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR and Kiara Advani, it will become Rajinikanth’s second biggest day 1 opener. But if it happens, it would mean Rajinikanth surpassing Rajinikanth, dethroning his own 2.0 record after six years. All eyes are now on the first-day actuals. If early trends are any indication, Coolie won’t just be a commercial win, it could be a career-defining moment in Rajinikanth’s already illustrious journey.
