Mumbai, August 22 - The highly-anticipated box office clash between superstar Rajinikanth's gangster action drama Coolie and Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR's spy action thriller War 2 has turned into a dull affair where both films failed to live up to the pre-release hype.
Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Coolie had everything to run riot at the box office, be it star power, a blockbuster director, a music sensation, and a reputed production house, but all went in vain as the story couldn't connect with the audience, which didn't turn up as expected post the weekend.
Coolie had a record-breaking start, followed by a record opening weekend for Tamil cinema. However, once the weekend was over, the poor critics' reviews and mixed audience reception came to spoil the party as the film couldn't hold on to the expected lines during the weekdays.
Have A Look At The First Week Box Office Comparison of Coolie and War 2 (Estimated)
| Region (State) | War 2 1st Week GBOC | Coolie 1st Week GBOC |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu | ₹5.55 Cr | ₹115.40 Cr |
| Karnataka | ₹16.80 Cr | ₹38.60 Cr |
| AP/TG | ₹62.40 Cr | ₹57.80 Cr |
| Kerala | ₹1.80 Cr | ₹23.10 Cr |
| Rest of India | ₹157.20 Cr | ₹37.10 Cr |
| Overseas | ₹70.15 Cr | ₹167.00 Cr |
| Total | ₹314.00 Cr | ₹439.00 Cr |
The situation of Yash Raj Films' War 2 is even worse. Just like Coolie, the Bollywood tentpole also had everything to make a splash at the box office, but couldn't start well and later, the mixed reception didn't allow it to gather speed despite a big jump on Independence Day.
Both Coolie and War 2 were projected to score over 2000 crores at the worldwide box office, but now, they are heading for a combined total of under 1000 crores, which is hugely disappointing. The failure of both movies will force the filmmakers to rethink how they need to approach pan pan-India market without taking much risk.
Stay tuned...