Superstar Rajinikanth’s films have repeatedly broken records at the box office with impressive collections. From Sivaji to 2.0, Rajinikanth has been ruling the south Indian box office with his releases. However, the superstar faced a dry spell but returned to reclaim his box office status. On Rajinikanth’s 68th birthday, here is a looking at his recent career trajectory.
After the hit Enthiran in 2010, Rajinikanth delivered a host of box office dud including Linga and Kochadaiiyaan. The former was directed by KS Ravikumar and the latter was directed by the superstar’s daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth. The films flopped at the box office and it was only after two years that the superstar reclaimed the top spot at the box office with Pa Ranjith’s Kabali. The 2016 film had a record-breaking opening in India and abroad.
Kabali broke the record for the highest grossing film over its first weekend with a collection of ₹75.27 crore. The Rajinikanth-starrer beat Aamir Khan’s Dhoom 3, which earned ₹74.35 crore in first three days. Kabali earned ₹105 crore over its first 10 days and still remains one of the top five grossers in Tamil (non-dubbed) films.
Kaala, his second collaboration with Pa Ranjith, received a mixed response from the audience and its lifetime collections were not up to the mark. On the day of its release, the film earned ₹1.76 crore in Chennai and beat the record held by Vijay’s Mersal, which earned ₹1.52 crore. The film’s release in Karnataka was delayed due to the Cauvery controversy.
{{/usCountry}}Kaala, his second collaboration with Pa Ranjith, received a mixed response from the audience and its lifetime collections were not up to the mark. On the day of its release, the film earned ₹1.76 crore in Chennai and beat the record held by Vijay’s Mersal, which earned ₹1.52 crore. The film’s release in Karnataka was delayed due to the Cauvery controversy.
{{/usCountry}}According to a report in IB Times, the film made on a budget of ₹140 crore was sold for ₹165 crore for theatrical rights. Kaala earned ₹150.40 crore gross worldwide. It earned ₹75.10 crore for the distributors, resulting in a 54.4 % loss, which is approximately ₹90 crores.
The long delay in Shankar 2.0, due to its extensive VFX work, gave birth to speculation that Rajini had another sub-par film in the offing. However, 2.0 has proved otherwise and has already earned ₹600 crore at the box office in two weeks. 2.0 is the highest grossing film in actor Akshay Kumar’s career, has entered the 5 million club in the US and is well on its way to becoming a blockbuster in Hindi as well.
Petta, Rajinikanth’s next release slated for Pongal, is also expected to perform well at the box office from the buzz surrounding the Karthik Subbaraj directorial. The film will portray Rajinikanth in two different looks and features a stunning star cast that includes Vijay Sethupathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sasikumar, Simran and Trisha in pivotal roles.
Follow @htshowbiz for more