In a box office upset in 2025, Rajinikanth’s Coolie did better than the heavily funded War 2, which stars Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, who always do well in theatres. Both movies started showing around the same time, during the busy Independence Day holiday. But Coolie was more liked, ending up as number one and winning over moviegoers. The range of emotions explored in the battle, from giddy opening numbers to significant regional fan shifts, showed what resonates with Indian audiences today – and what doesn’t – in the post-pandemic box office landscape.
Box Office Showdown: Coolie vs. War 2
Since their debut over Independence Day weekend, Coolie and War 2 have been head-to-head at the box office, with Rajinikanth’s Coolie consistently ahead. Coolie turned in a stunning Day 1 at ₹65 crore, Day 2 at ₹54.75 crore, and Day 3 at ₹39.5 crore. At this point, it had obviously slowed down but earned ₹34 crore on Day 4 and only ₹12 crore on Day 5, taking the base total in India for Day 6 to a sum of ₹206.76 crore. Comparison-wise, Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s War 2 opened with a strong Day 1 at ₹52.5 crore and Day 2 at ₹57.35 crore—but over its Day 3 and Day 4, War 2 had declines to Day 3 at ₹33.25 crore and Day 4 at ₹32.15 crore. By Day 5, War 2 completed its first 5 days of box office with an ₹8.5 crore day earlier, taking its 5-day domestic total to around ₹183 crore. Both films would ultimately have huge opening weekends, but Coolie has held on to how far ahead it is of War 2!
Why “Coolie” was a Better Connector
Like we thought, Coolie killed it in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Rajinikanth’s usual hot spots. The original Tamil version was packed, with 87% of seats filled. What’s wild is that the Telugu version did even better than expected, especially in Chennai, where every show sold out, hitting 100% occupancy. All over India, the Telugu Coolie snagged a huge 92% occupancy across 900+ screenings.
On the flip side, War 2, even with Telugu star Jr NTR, got a lower 75% occupancy for its Telugu version. In Hyderabad, it was at 76%, way behind Coolie’s 97% in the same city. Coolie also did okay in Hindi areas. It got 36% occupancy nationwide for the Hindi version, with Lucknow at the top with 49%. War 2 had a softer opening day in Hindi, just 29% occupancy and 42% in Lucknow. Basically, Coolie is a hit across different languages and places, beating out War 2 even outside its main turf.
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Where Did “War 2” Miss the Mark?
“War 2” had a hot start with ticket sales, but after an opening weekend, it fizzled out.
The weekday collections dropped significantly, especially Monday’s collection, which indicated weak word of mouth. Although Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR performed admirably, public reaction to the film cited a weak screenplay and subpar visual effects. Given the time production cost, the underperformance raised some eyebrows. The expectations exemplifying the high pressure revolving around a film this size ultimately worked against it, especially in comparison to the well-received, crowd-pleasing “Coolie” spectacle.
Wrapping Up
Coolie and War 2 both had a ton of hype before they came out, but neither really blew people away. Coolie made more money and had more people in seats, so financially, it won. Still, Rajinikanth’s fans were probably hoping for something better. War 2 just didn’t keep up the excitement after the first weekend. At the end of the day, even though Coolie did better at the box office, neither movie really hit that super-hit level everyone was expecting, especially with all those big stars.
Written by Nidhi Singh