Lokesh Kanagaraj vs Rajinikanth: How does the Coolie director's past 3 films compare with the superstar's at the box office?

Lokesh Kanagaraj will be directing Rajinikanth for the first time with the upcoming action thriller Coolie, which is set to release in theatres on August 14

Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj

Only two days are left for Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s film Coolie to hit theatres as Tamil cinema pins hope on the action thriller to break all the box office records. The star-studded pan-Indian affair, marks the first time Lokesh and Rajinikanth are collaborating, making it one of the film’s USPs. With both of them guaranteeing box office success, let us compare their past works on how each of them fared well commercially.

Lokesh Kanagaraj vs Rajinikanth at box office

Rajinikanth, a known name in Indian cinema, is a factor by himself, who guarantees box office success. When the actor announced his collaboration with Lokesh Kanagaraj, who is already one of the most-sought after filmmakers of Tamil cinema, fans couldn’t keep calm. Ahead of Coolie release, let us compare the box office successes of Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s last three releases. For the unknown, Lokesh’s last three releases include Leo, Vikram and Master, while Rajinikanth starred in Vettaiyan, Jailer and Annaatthe.

Starting with Lokesh, his last release was the Vijay-starrer Leo which is also the recent LCU film. A blockbuster, the film fared extremely well and collected Rs 605.25 crore at the box office worldwide as per Sacnilk. This has only increased from the filmmaker’s previous film, Vikram starring Kamal Haasan, which earned Rs 414.43 crore worldwide. While Leo had little less favourable responses from critics, Vikram on the other hand, became a bonafide blockbuster for Kamal Haasan. The film also birthed the LCU concept which went on to make Lokesh the most hyped filmmaker. While it is unfair to compare Vikram and Leo, with Master, which had released during the Covid-19 pandemic time, the yet again Vijay-starrer still held the blockbuster card with Rs 121.40 crore worldwide. Master is not part of LCU, and had opened to be the first major Tamil film to release during pandemic. Yet, the film managed to be on the profitable zone. Lokesh’s films, even with being star-studded, has been largely welcomed by fans and critics.

Meanwhile, Rajinikanth, who has been in the business for much longer in the business as he completes 50 years in the industry, starred in Vettaiyan, Jailer, and Annaatthe. This list will exclude Lal Salaam in which Rajinikanth appeared in supporting character. And truth be told, both Vettaiyan and Annaatthe did not work in favour of the box office. The TJ Gnanavel-starrer cop drama Vettaiyan, despite its star ensemble, had made only Rs 253.69 crore overall, while Annaatthe which was again a pandemic release, had made Rs 172 crore only and opened to negative reviews. Even as Vettaiyan and Annaatthe boast big numbers, the films' performances did not sit well with the audience. However, the Nelson Dilipkumar directorial Jailer made Rs 604.5 crore, becoming one of the top grossers of Tamil cinema, redefinining Rajinikanth for the youth and opened the market of Tamil cinema further to pan-India.

Also read: Coolie advance bookings in India (latest collection): Rajinikanth-Lokesh Kanagaraj film tickets sell like hot cakes; no room for War 2 down south

All eyes set on Coolie for 1000-crore mark

Now, with both Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie set for pan-Indian release, Tamil cinema is building its dream to achieve the 1000-crore mark. Not only Lokesh and Rajinikanth. Coolie also has Nagarjuna, Upendra, Aamir Khan, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj and Shruti Haasan, to cater to every language fanbase, making it one of the most hyped projects. Even as the film has been certified A making it not children-friendly, the expectations on Coolie has not died down. The film will be clashing with Hindi spy action thriller War 2, on August 14.

FAQs

Q. Will Coolie be part of LCU?

A. Coolie will not be part of LCU. Kaithi , Vikram , and Leo are part of LCU.

Q. Is Aamir Khan appearing in cameo in Coolie?

A. Yes, Aamir Khan plays a cameo in Coolie.

Q. Can I book Coolie online?

A. Yes, you can book tickets for Coolie online. The advance bookings have opened in India.

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