Battle-Lines Have Been Drawn

Going by advance booking numbers, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Rajini starrer seems to have an edge. The film is also a career milestone for Rajini, marking 50 years in cinema, — an occasion being commemorated with events across TN and even in Singapore, where a sizable Tamil population has been given the day off.

Different profiles

“Its ticket sales opened a day earlier, which immediately gave it a head start in capturing fans. The film also benefits from the broader, pan-India and international appeal of the Rajinikanth phenomenon — that immediate hysteria, the front-loaded demand that pushes numbers sky-high even before the first review comes in. War 2, by contrast, is a sleek, urban, style-driven entertainer that’s likely to perform strongly in multiplexes and city markets.”

— Girish Wankhede, film analyst

Something for everyone

“It has Rajinikanth, who enjoys a timeless appeal, Nagarjuna for the Telugu audience, Upendra from Karnataka, Soubin Shahir from Malayalam cinema, and Aamir Khan from Bollywood — all the major industries represented in one frame. Add Lokesh Kanagaraj’s cinematic sensibilities and Anirudh Ravichander’s music, and the buzz is tremendous.”

— Ramesh Bala, trade analyst

Coolie hits Rs 100 cr mark

The film has already crossed Rs 100 crore in its opening weekend, selling over 12 lakh tickets on Day 1 alone. Industry tracker Sacnilk reports that Coolie collected Rs 35 crore in advance ticket sales in India (including blocked seats) and grossed Rs 60 crore overseas for the weekend – Rs 45 crore of that on the opening day. In comparison, War 2 has managed Rs 17 crore in advance sales across all languages and formats.