Highlights:
- Four days before release, Coolie has earned over £4.7m in advance bookings worldwide.
- International pre-sales began before India, with North America leading overseas markets.
- Domestic advance sales have already surpassed Rajinikanth’s previous record with Jailer.
- The film stars Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Upendra, and Shruti Haasan, with a cameo by Aamir Khan.
Rajinikanth’s upcoming film Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, has surpassed £4.7m in advance bookings just days before its 14 August release. With strong pre-sales in India and overseas, the film is on track for one of the biggest openings in Tamil cinema history.
Advance bookings surge worldwide
As reported by Hindustan Times, Coolie opened international pre-sales before India, prompting a sharp rise in ticket sales abroad. In India, where bookings began in stages from Friday, the film has already secured around £1.32m in advance sales, including £940,000 for its opening day alone.
The Tamil version leads with nearly £940,000, while the Telugu and Kannada versions have also performed well. The Hindi version is slower but expected to gain pace as release day nears.
Overseas markets set new benchmarks
In North America, advance sales for the film’s premieres have reached about £1.32m, with £1.13m coming from the USA alone, where more than 56,000 tickets have been sold. This beats the previous North American premiere record for a Lokesh Kanagaraj film, set by Leo at roughly £1.22m.
The film’s total overseas advance earnings stand at approximately £3.85m, already higher than the lifetime foreign earnings of Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life.
Chasing Tamil cinema records
If current trends hold, Coolie could break the all-time Tamil film advance booking record of around £4.32m set by Leo. Domestically, it has already overtaken the £1.69m pre-sales record of Rajinikanth’s Jailer. Analysts suggest Coolie could potentially double its India total before release day.
Star cast and expectations
The film features Rajinikanth alongside Nagarjuna, Upendra, and Shruti Haasan, with a special cameo by Aamir Khan. Industry watchers believe the combination of a high-profile cast, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s track record, and a wide pan-India release could deliver Rajinikanth’s biggest-ever opening and one of the largest in Indian cinema history.
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