Absolute chaos broke out at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre for the first screening of ‘Coolie.’
Rajinikanth fans practically took over the place, dancing in the aisles the moment “Chikiti Vibe” hit the speakers, and police were on high alert, probably still smarting from earlier incidents with overzealous crowds.
Coolie release: Rajinikanth fans celebrate
This wasn’t just some local celebration. Two companies from Singapore actually gave their Tamil employees paid leave to catch ‘Coolie’ on opening day.
Not to be outdone, a bunch of Indian firms jumped on the bandwagon and declared August 14th a holiday too. Rajinikanth’s fans weren’t holding back, either—they spent days leading up to the release making temple offerings, praying for box office glory, and turning theatres across India into makeshift festival grounds.
VIDEO | Bengaluru, Karnataka: Fans gather outside Mukunda theatre to watch first day, first show of superstar Rajinikanth’s new movie ‘Coolie’.
The film is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, known for projects such as ‘Kaithi’, Leo’ and ‘Aviyal’. Backed by Sun Pictures, ‘Coolie’ also… pic.twitter.com/ZSM8v47eWe
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 14, 2025
Will Rajinikanth’s Coolie make new records?
It’s no exaggeration to say ‘Coolie’ is the year’s biggest release. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj—the guy behind ‘Maanagaram,’ ‘Vikram,’ and ‘Leo’—the film’s hype was off the charts. Every ticket for the 6 am shows in Thiruvananthapuram vanished, though, interestingly, there was none of the usual fanfare in Kerala’s capital.
No massive cutouts, no fireworks, no wild street dancing. Local movie fans said they were keeping the hype in check too much buildup can lead to a letdown.
Lokesh himself told The Hollywood Reporter about pitching the story to Rajinikanth, recalling how he nervously asked, “Is this your style? Would you like to act in this film?” Rajinikanth didn’t even hesitate—just said “yes,” right then and there. That kind of immediate trust in a director is rare, and it says a lot about how much faith Rajinikanth had in Lokesh’s vision.
#WATCH | Fans of Superstar Rajinikanth gather outside a theatre in Chennai to watch his new movie ‘Coolie’, which has been released today. pic.twitter.com/3buroWjme8
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2025
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu | Fans of Superstar Rajinikanth gather outside a theatre in Chennai to watch the first day-first show of his new movie ‘Coolie’. pic.twitter.com/RTQeCAusFl
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2025
Coolie’s Box-Office
The movie’s bookings were nothing short of phenomenal. It’s already posted the third-highest opening day pre-sales for 2025, raking in over 27 crore at the Indian box office, only trailing behind ‘Hari Hara Veera Mallu’ and ‘Game Changer.’
Tickets have been selling out as soon as they’re available, both in India and overseas. Down south, ‘Coolie’ is completely dominating, even while going head-to-head with ‘War 2.’
Early on, it looked like Rajinikanth’s latest would smash the previous record held by ‘Leo’ for opening day bookings (46.1 crore). Now, it may fall just short of that mark, but still, breaking 40 crore on day one is a massive achievement in itself.
