Rajinikanth's Independence Day release Coolie opened to stellar numbers at the box office as trade experts predicted. The superstar's 171st film, which marks his first collaboration with director Lokesh Kanagaraj, minted Rs 65 crore across all languages, posing a stiff competition to Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR's War 2.
Breaking Down The Box Office Numbers
- As per trade tracker Sacnilk, Rajinikanth's film emerged as one of the biggest openers for Tamil cinema.
- The morning shows in Tamil registered footfall around 81.95 %. The trend hold its momentum with 85.13% in afternoon shows, 86.57% in evening shows and 94.32% in night shows.
- Rajinikanth's film made its presence felt in the Hindi belt as well. Mumbai registered 35% footfall in morning shows, followed by 41% in Bengaluru and 41% in Kolkata for the Hindi version of the film.
- As per industry reports, Rajinikanth's Coolie beat his previous blockbuster 2.0, which minted Rs 60 crore on its opening day. Hence, Coolie is touted to be Rajinikanth's biggest opener till date.
- However, Coolie could not beat Vijay's Leo (which was also directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj), which opened at Rs 66 crore, cementing its position as the highest opener in Tamil cinema.
- Coolie is expected to get the benefit of the extended holiday weekend, and boosting its numbers further.
- The film is clashing with Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR's War 2, which opened at Rs 52.50 in all languages.
About Coolie
Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Coolie marks Rajinikanth's 171st film. The movie also features Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, Upendra, Soubin Shahir and Sathyaraj in key roles. Aamir Khan will make a cameo appearance in the film. Coolie is produced by Kalanithi Maran's Sun Pictures.
In his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Coolie plays out in a man's world. The likes of Preethi, notwithstanding the amount of screen time she has, is only of secondary importance. So is everybody else in the film and that includes the writer-director himself. It is Rajinikanth the star and Deva the character who call the shots all the way through. Should anybody be complaining?"
Coolie also marked Rajinikanth's 50 years in the business. Industry stalwarts like Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, Mammootty and others wished the living legend on his special day.
Also Read | Coolie Review: Superstar Rajinikanth Outshines All In A Star-Heavy Film, And No One's Complaining