Nelson Dilipkumar and Rajinikanth seem to have done it again with the sequel to their 2023 hit Jailer. the sequel has become the fourth-highest-grossing Tamil film of all time While Jailer 2 has yet to beat its predecessor. It also became the second-highest-grossing Indian film of 2026, having overtaken Drishyam: The Conclusion.
It has beaten the lifetime collections of films such as Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan I and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie to take the spot in just a week.
Rajinikanth, Ramya Krishnan, Mirnaa and Rithvik reprised their roles for the sequel. SJ Suryah, Mithun Chakraborty, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Vidya Balan are the new additions to the cast. He also tries to hide the truth about his son’s death from them, risking getting exposed at any time.
Jailer 2 is directed by Nelson and produced by Kalanithi Maran through Sun Pictures. Jailer 2 picks up where the first film left off, with Rajinikanth’s retired jailer, Tiger Muthuvel Pandian, looking to keep his family safe from an idol smuggling ring.
Jailer 2 becomes 2nd-highest-grossing film of 2026
(Also Read: National Award-winning VFX expert Arun Kumar says criticism around Ramayana, Jailer 2 visuals based on growing confusion on CGI vs AI | HT Exclusive ) Jailer 2 has registered a net domestic collection of ₹ 317.20 crore in India and a gross collection of ₹ 371.45 crore, according to trade analysts. Adding to that, the ₹ 205 crore from overseas brings the worldwide gross of the sequel to ₹ 576.45 crore by the end of its first week in theatres. It has now surpassed the 20-day haul of Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam: The Conclusion, which has brought in ₹ 560 crore so far, making it the second-highest-grossing Indian film of 2026. This means that Jailer 2 has surpassed the lifetime collection of Ponniyin Selvan I, which stands at ₹ 488.36 crore gross, as per the trade website Sacnilk. It also surpassed Rajinikanth’s previous film Coolie ’s ₹ 518 crore gross, becoming the fourth highest-grossing Tamil film. Jailer 2 banked on the Navaratri and Dussehra season, along with no competition for Rajinikanth from his counterparts. Rajinikanth has maintained the top spot in Kollywood for years now, with his 2018 sequel to Robo, 2.0, directed by Shankar, bringing in ₹ 691 crore during its run. Though the film was declared average, given its reported budget of over ₹ 500 crore, it has remained unbeatable for all these years. Vijay’s film Leo, with Lokesh in 2023, grossed ₹ 605.90 crore worldwide and ranked second. Jailer came close to it, bringing in ₹ 604.74 crore.
And it paid off, with the film maintaining steady momentum even on weekdays, with only a few days to go until the next weekend.
