By Arjun Menon
August 24, 2025
Chennai, India – Rajinikanth’s latest action thriller Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, continues its theatrical run with a mix of triumphs and challenges. After a record-breaking opening, the gangster drama has seen a noticeable slowdown in its box office collections by its tenth day, inching towards ₹250 crore domestically while crossing ₹450 crore worldwide. Despite its commercial success, mixed reviews and competition from Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s War 2 have tempered its momentum.
Day 10 Performance and Domestic Collections
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Coolie earned an estimated ₹9.44 crore net across all languages in India on its tenth day, Saturday, August 23, marking a slight uptick from its second Friday collection of ₹5.85 crore. This brought the film’s total domestic net collection to ₹244.94 crore by the end of its second weekend, with expectations to surpass ₹250 crore by Sunday. The film’s gross domestic collection stands at approximately ₹289 crore, reflecting strong initial enthusiasm but a sharp decline in weekday earnings.
Coolie opened with a thunderous ₹65 crore net on its first day, August 14, making it the second-highest Tamil film opener behind Vijay’s Leo (₹66 crore). However, collections dipped significantly after the extended Independence Day weekend, falling to ₹6.15 crore on its eighth day, the lowest single-day haul so far. The film’s Tamil occupancy on Day 10 was 31.33%, with Telugu at 21.47% and Hindi at 12.95%, indicating sustained interest in southern markets but weaker performance in the Hindi belt.
Worldwide Box Office and Milestones
Globally, Coolie has amassed over ₹450 crore by Day 9, with an estimated ₹171 crore from overseas markets and ₹273 crore gross in India after eight days. The film’s worldwide gross is projected to near ₹470 crore by the end of its second weekend, making it Rajinikanth’s third-highest-grossing film, surpassing Enthiran (₹291 crore) and Petta (₹232.92 crore) but trailing 2.0 (₹691 crore) and Jailer (₹604.5 crore). It has also outperformed Kamal Haasan’s Vikram (₹418 crore) and Jr NTR’s Devara globally, cementing its status as a major earner despite a slowdown.
The film set records as the fastest Tamil film to cross ₹100 crore and ₹200 crore domestically, achieving the latter in just five days. Its overseas performance has been particularly strong, with record-breaking openings in North America ($18 million), the UK, and Australia, contributing to its global dominance during the opening weekend.
Mixed Reviews and Competition
Despite its commercial success, Coolie has faced criticism for its “fragmented storyline” and “underdeveloped characters,” as noted in a review by India.com. Posts on X echo this sentiment, with @TheDigiStar giving the film a 2/5 rating, citing a “confusing non-linear screenplay” and “weak content” that failed to live up to the hype. Others, like film trade analyst Sumit Kadel, praised its “non-stop twists and turns,” awarding it 3.5 stars and highlighting Rajinikanth’s performance and Anirudh Ravichander’s score.
The film’s momentum has been challenged by a box office clash with War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, and Kiara Advani, which collected ₹208.25 crore net in India by Day 9, trailing Coolie by approximately ₹27 crore. The simultaneous release on August 14, coupled with Coolie’s A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), may have limited its audience reach compared to War 2’s broader appeal.
Plot and Star Power
Coolie, produced by Sun Pictures, follows Deva (Rajinikanth), a former coolie union leader seeking answers after the mysterious death of his friend Rajasekhar (Sathyaraj). His quest pits him against gangster Simon (Nagarjuna) and his right-hand man Dayal (Soubin Shahir), with a star-studded cast including Shruti Haasan, Upendra, Rachita Ram, and a cameo by Aamir Khan. Despite mixed reviews, Rajinikanth’s charisma and action sequences have kept fans engaged, with Soubin Shahir earning praise as a breakout star.
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