Rajinikanth's Coolie Opening Day Box Office Records
Chennai, August 15 - Superstar Rajinikanth set the box office on fire with the record-breaking opening day worldwide. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the gangster action drama stormed cinemas on August 14, delivering numbers never before seen in Tamil cinema and setting new benchmarks for the Indian film industry in 2025.
Produced by Sun Pictures, Coolie got a mixed reception, and despite that, it was unstoppable on the first day. It features actors across industries, making it one of the most star-studded Tamil films ever. Apart from Rajinikanth, the blockbuster also stars Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, Sathya Raj, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, and Aamir Khan (cameo) in prominent roles.
Have a look at some of the opening day box office records created by Coolie, at the domestic and worldwide box office -
With a combined domestic and overseas total of 153 crores, the Rajinikanth-fronted claimed the crown for the largest opening day for a Tamil film ever, beating Thalapathy Vijay's Leo (143 crores).
Coolie set a new global benchmark for Tamil films by earning 76.50 crores at the overseas box office on day one, surpassing every previous record of Vijay's Leo, which minted a huge 66.50 crores in the international markets.
In India, the film delivered an unprecedented 77 crores gross on its first day, making it the highest domestic opener ever for a Tamil-language release, beating Rajinikanth's 2.0 and Vijay's Leo, which grossed around 76.50 crores on day 1.
Coolie is also the biggest Indian opener of 2025 at the worldwide box office, beating Ram Charan's Game Changer, which debuted with around 80 crores gross.
No other Indian film this year has even come close to Coolie's overseas debut numbers, making it the standout performer in global markets.
Both the superstar actor and the hit filmmaker achieved their personal career-best opening day with Coolie, surpassing all previous films in their respective records. Rajini's previous biggest was Jailer (96+ crores worldwide), while Lokesh's was Leo (143 crores worldwide).
Coolie became the first-ever Tamil film to cross the 150 crores worldwide mark on its opening day, cementing its place in cinematic history. The second biggest is Leo with 143 crores worldwide gross.
Before hitting the big screen, the film's hype was evident from the start, with advance bookings worth 109 crores before release, making it the highest pre-sales figure in Tamil cinema history for the opening day. For the opening weekend, the pre-sales were over 180 crores, as the second biggest behind Leo.
Coolie became the first Tamil movie to score $2 million and $3 million in the North American premiere, setting a massive record which will be tough to break in the future.
Within India, Coolie leads all 2025 releases, setting the bar for domestic box office performance this year.
Stay tuned...