Coolie vs War 2: Megastars and masala not enough for box office

Fireworks were expected at the box office with two tentpole movies, Coolie and War 2, releasing over the Independence Day weekend. Despite strong openings, both films are said to be underperforming. Over the first weekend, Rajinikanth’s action drama reportedly earned Rs 193 crore in India against Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR-starrer’s Rs 173 crore. On paper, the numbers look good, but trade insiders point out that they pale in comparison to the movies’ massive budgets, reportedly upwards of Rs 350 crore for Coolie, and north of Rs 300 crore for War 2.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh noted that while Coolie has been on a strong footing relatively, thanks to its Tamil version, War 2 has taken a beating because of its content. He told mid-day, “War 2 has been rejected. It didn’t open as big as it should have on August 14. The numbers rose on August 15, but they didn’t shoot up on Saturday despite it being a holiday. Today, word of mouth travels fast. There are umpteen examples of films whose trailers and songs didn’t track, but the films worked because of good content. The industry was in a joyous mood after Saiyaara, but when a big movie doesn’t work, it sends shockwaves.” 

With the weekend behind them, the downward spiral has begun for the big-ticket entertainers. While Lokesh Kanagaraj’s directorial venture was nearing the Rs 200-crore mark on Monday, it will take director Ayan Mukerji’s film a long time to reach the milestone. Talking to mid-day on Monday afternoon, trade analyst Girish Wankhede noted, “Today Coolie will enter the Rs 200 crore club, with all languages. But War 2 will stumble over the next few days. Negative reviews affect such a film more because Rajinikanth movies are review-proof. War 2 will take a week more to earn Rs 200 crore.”

Meanwhile, the surprise winner amid the clash of two Goliaths has been the animated drama, Mahavatar Narsimha. About the July 25 release, Wankhede said, “It’s made on a budget of Rs 10-15 crore. In 24 days, it has earned Rs 210 crore and might even reach a lifetime collection of Rs 300 crore.”

6500 vs 5000
Screens playing ‘Coolie’ and ‘War 2’ respectively

Rs 193 cr vs  Rs 173 cr
First weekend collections of ‘Coolie’ and ‘War 2’  respectively