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War 2 vs Coolie box office: Rajinikanth shows who's the boss; beats Hrithik Roshan in Hindi belt, NTR in Telugu states
War 2 vs Coolie box office: At 74, Rajinikanth has reigned supreme, beating two younger superstars' combined might.
This was the most mouth-watering box office clash in Indian cinema in a long time. In the blue corner was a combination of two 21st-century stars - Hindi cinema's Hrithik Roshan and Telugu cinema's Jr NTR - coming together for Yash Raj Films' War 2. In the red corner, the OG superstar - Rajinikanth - shouldered Lokesh Kanagaraj's newest thriller, Coolie, aided by appearances from big names in every industry. The clash was as pan-India as one could be. And in the end, it's the 74-year-old Rajni who has proved why he deserves the tag of superstar more than anyone else.
War 2 vs Coolie box office report
War 2 is part of the YRF Spy Universe, which includes the Tiger films and Pathaan, and is the sequel to Hrithik and Tiger Shroff-starrer War (2019). Given that all Spy Universe films had strong openings, with a couple (including War) setting all-time records at the time of release, expectations were high for War 2. This was further boosted by the pan-India appeal of the film due to Jr NTR's presence. But War 2 did not live up to that promise. In the end, War earned ₹52.50 crore net in India on its opening day, less than part 1 ( ₹53 crore), but much below Pathaan's ₹57 crore mark.
Coolie, on the other hand, buoyed by Rajini's superstardom, broke several records and ended up grossing ₹65 crore in India on day 1, the highest opening day for the superstar ahead of his all-time blockbuster, Enthiran. Coolie won this box office battle despite releasing in fewer screens nationally as compared to War 2.
How Rajinikanth beat Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR on their own turfs
As had been expected, Coolie dominated in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, traditional strongholds of Rajinikanth. Across regions, Coolie's occupancy for the original Tamil version was a staggering 87%. But surprisingly enough, the Telugu dub did better. In Chennai, Coolie's Telugu dub registered 100% occupancy, selling out all shows. Coolie had a staggering 92% occupancy in Telugu, spread across over 900 shows in India. Jr NTR, the local star, could manage 'just' 75% occupancy for War 2's Telugu version. In Hyderabad, the film's occupancy was 76%, as compared to 97% for Coolie.
Rajinikanth reigned supreme even in the Hindi belt in a similar fashion, even though War 2 featured Hrithik Roshan, considered by many to be one of the most bankable stars around. Coolie registered 36% occupancy across India for its Hindi-dubbed version, with Hindi-heavy centres like Lucknow leading with 49% occupancy. In comparison, War 2 had a day 1 Hindi occupancy of 29%. In Lucknow, it was 42%.
The only saving grace for War 2 was that in both Hindi and Telugu, it had more shows than Coolie, so it stayed ahead in absolute earnings. But Rajinikanth's Coolie dented both the films in their bastions, sending a clear signal to exhibitors about audience preferences. It will be interesting to see how theatres and cinema chains react to this in terms of screen sharing over the weekend.
About War 2 and Coolie
Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, stars Rajinikanth alongside Nagarjuna, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, and Soubin Shahir. War 2, part of the YRF Spy Universe, stars Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, along with Kiara Advani and Ashutosh Rana.
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