Entertainment Desk:

Despite high expectations and Independence Day releases, both Rajinikanth’s Coolie and Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR’s War 2 underperformed at the box office, falling short of the benchmark set by the recent hit Saiyaara. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh told NDTV that content — not star power — determines success, and War 2 simply lacked substance.

FIRST WEEK EARNINGS

After completing their first week in theaters (released August 14), both films managed to surpass the ₹200 crore mark domestically but failed to sustain strong momentum, especially considering their massive budgets:

WAR 2 COLLECTED ₹204.25 CRORE.

Coolie, which opened as Rajinikanth’s biggest debut ever, grossed ₹229.75 crore.

While War 2 had a strong start in Hindi (₹29 crore on day 1 and ₹44 crore on day 2 — Independence Day), it experienced a sharp decline in the following days.

The film marked Jr NTR’s Hindi film debut. Though the Telugu version opened well, its performance tapered off due to mixed audience and critical reactions.

A Divided Market

Experts had predicted a split audience due to the simultaneous release of two star-heavy South Indian films, and that prediction came true. The competition impacted the earnings of both movies.

trade analyst taran adarsh’s take

ADARSH WAS BLUNT IN HIS ASSESSMENT:

“War 2 is a flop. It’s the first failure in the YRF Spy Universe,” he said. “Coolie did well in Tamil-speaking regions but failed to leave a mark in the Hindi belt.”

He emphasized that strong storytelling is more crucial than star power:

“War 2 is a weak film. Content always makes the difference.”

On whether Saiyaara impacted their performance, Adarsh said that film’s dominance was already fading after Mahavatar Narsimha released.

THE SAIYAARA PHENOMENON

Released on July 18, Saiyaara — a romantic drama starring newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda — broke all records for the genre. With no major releases competing for two weeks, the film had an uninterrupted run and massive box office success. It even caused Son of Sardaar 2 to postpone its release. Other films that couldn’t match Saiyaara’s numbers include:

Housefull 5 – ₹183 crore

Raid 2 – ₹173 crore

Sitaare Zameen Par – ₹163 crore

Ahaan and Aneet have already been named IMDb’s breakout stars of the year.

ABOUT THE FILMS

Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is Rajinikanth’s 171st film. It stars Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, and Sathyaraj, with a cameo by Aamir Khan. Produced by Sun Pictures.

War 2, directed by Ayan Mukerji, is a sequel to the 2019 hit War. It stars Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, and Kiara Advani, and is part of YRF’s spy universe.