Between "Coolie" starring Rajinikanth and "War 2" starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, "Coolie" has emerged as the overall winner in terms of box office performance and audience reception.
Box Office Performance
- After one week in India, "Coolie" grossed around Rs 261 crore, whereas "War 2" grossed about Rs 231 crore, making "Coolie" substantially ahead despite "War 2" having a bigger budget.
- Opening day collections saw "Coolie" gross Rs 75.5 crore compared to "War 2's" Rs 59 crore in India.
- "Coolie" leads in overseas collections significantly, which is expected to maintain its advantage in the worldwide box office gross by around Rs 100 crore.
- The total combined worldwide box office collections of these two films are under Rs 1000 crore, which is below expectations, but "Coolie" is still considered to be the more successful film.
Reasons for "Coolie's" Advantage
- Rajinikanth's star power and his film's pan-India and global appeal contributed to "Coolie" sustaining strong box office numbers.
- Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, "Coolie" had strong advance booking sales, roughly double those of "War 2" initially.
- Fans and critics have rated "Coolie" as having better overall entertainment value despite some mixed reviews, whereas "War 2" was noted to be a loss-making venture with poor reception.
Summary
"Coolie" outperformed "War 2" both in India and overseas at the box office, sustained better audience interest, and is considered the bigger commercial success in their August 2025 clash. Therefore, the winner in terms of box office and overall success between "Coolie" and "War 2" is Coolie.