‘Coolie’ sets new pre-booking benchmark in Kerala ahead of release

The much-anticipated Lokesh Kanagaraj–Rajinikanth collaboration, ‘Coolie’, is already creating waves at the box office days before its release. In Kerala alone, pre-bookings have generated an impressive ₹5.34 crore, while the film has grossed ₹10 crore from Tamil Nadu and ₹3 crore from Karnataka. Ticket sales in the Telugu states are yet to open, hinting at even bigger numbers ahead.

With three days to go before it hits the screens on August 14, ‘Coolie’ has already surpassed the first-day earnings of Mohanlal’s ‘Thudarum’. Industry watchers expect it to secure the second-highest opening of the year in Kerala, just behind ‘Empuraan’, which raked in around ₹14 crore from the state.

If ‘Coolie’ manages to cross the ₹6 crore mark achieved by ‘Jailer’ on its opening day in Kerala, it will set a historic milestone — becoming the first Rajinikanth film to register the highest-ever first-day collection in the state.

A period gangster action thriller, ‘Coolie’ marks Rajinikanth’s 171st outing on the big screen. Alongside the superstar, the film features Aamir Khan, Nagarjuna, and Upendra, with Aamir making a special cameo appearance. Shruti Haasan plays the female lead. Known for its high-octane sequences, the film has been awarded an ‘A’ certificate for intense violence, making it the most violent film of Rajinikanth’s career to date.

Produced by Kalanithi Maran under the Sun Pictures banner, ‘Coolie’ reunites Rajinikanth with Sathyaraj after a gap of 38 years. The film’s cinematography is handled by Girish Gangadharan, while music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander. Following the massive success of ‘Leo’, Lokesh Kanagaraj returns to the director’s chair with ‘Coolie’, a project riding high on audience expectations. H & M Films has secured the Kerala distribution rights for a staggering ₹14 crore.