At 75, Rajinikanth has done the unthinkable. The superstar has given Tamil cinema’s very first ₹ 800-crore grosser. His latest release, Jailer 2, crossed the milestone this Sunday, and also crossed the lifetime hauls of a few Bollywood all-time blockbusters in the process. With Ramayana releasing this Friday, Jailer 2’s earnings are likely to take a hit, but it would be interesting to note just how far this film can go.
The film is a rare sequel that Rajinikanth agreed to do. The superstar has, in the past, rejected sequels to his other blockbusters. Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu, Mirnaa and Rithvik reprise their roles from the first part, with S. J. Suryah, Mithun Chakraborty, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Vidya Balan, Anna Rajan and Jatin Sarna joining the cast. The film also features several high-profile cameos by Hrithik Roshan, Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar, and Jackie Shroff.
Jailer 2 is produced by Sun Pictures and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. Jailer 2 brings back Rajinikanth as his iconic character, ‘Tiger’ Muthuvel Pandian, who is going against a new legion of bad guys this time.
Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, Jailer 2 had one of the biggest openings in Tamil cinema history, minting ₹ 400 crore in its extended four-day opening weekend. But what has been especially encouraging for Jailer 2 is how the film has fared after its opening week. On Sunday, its 18th day in theatres, Jailer 2 earned a respectable ₹ 11.50 crore net in India. This took its third weekend to ₹ 26.40 crore and total domestic collection so far to ₹ 456 crore net ( ₹ 533 crore gross). Jailer 2 is the only Tamil film to earn ₹ 450 crore in India. Overseas, Jailer 2 has been an equally grand success, largely on the back of Rajinikanth’s immense popularity in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North America. Jailer 2 has earned close to $29 million overseas, almost the same as Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar. This takes its worldwide gross to ₹ 808 crore, making it the first Tamil film in the 800-crore club. In its third weekend, Jailer 2 surpassed two Bollywood blockbusters – Aamir Khan’s PK ( ₹ 769 crore) and Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava ( ₹ 807 crore). However, the current momentum may see it aim for the ₹ 850 crore mark, which should enable it to surpass Kantara Chapter One and Stree 2.
Because it has also become the only Tamil film to earn at least ₹ 60 crore in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh-Telangana, its success is special. This propelled the film further, as the Navratra and Dussehra breaks helped it sustain its momentum over the weekdays. The film had a strong second weekend, and then recovered in its third weekend after a midweek slump.
The film is likely to take a steep fall on Monday, and another on Thursday, when Ramayana hits the screens.
