'Coolie' vs 'War 2' box office prediction day 1: Rajinikanth ready to conquer in style, Hrithik Roshan-starrer to struggle

It is set to be a riot at the box office this Independence Day weekend, with Rajinikanth's gangster drama Coolie and Hrithik Roshan-led actioner War 2 hitting the theatres. As per initial trends, Coolie is set to outperform War 2 in style at the domestic as well as worldwide ticket counters. 

While Thalaiva's latest film is set to rule the box office in style this weekend, Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR-starrer commercial actioner may have to give a tough fight to sustain at the ticket counters. Here's what we know

Coolie box office collection prediction day 1

The Rajinikanth-starrer gangster drama is set to cross ₹80-100 crore in India and ₹150 crore worldwide, as per trade analysts. Film trade analyst Sumit Kadel wrote on X: "Rajinikanth starrer set to deliver the BIGGEST OPENING ever for a Tamil film." 

Kadel said that the film is likely to rake in anywhere between ₹80-90 crore at the Indian box office and ₹155-165 crore globally. 

As per film critic and trade analyst Ramesh Bala, the film is likely to cross ₹100 crore in India. 

"With three more days to go, 'Coolie' will easily cross Rs 100 crore in India and open at Rs 150 crore globally. The buzz surrounding the film is exceptional and is only increasing with each passing day," he was quoted as saying by IndiaToday.in. 

War 2 box office collection prediction day 1

Made at a budget of around ₹400 crore, the Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR-starrer commercial potboiler is likely to open at ₹50-55 crore in India and is likely to make ₹90-100 crore worldwide, Kadel said. 

With this, the film is likely to open in the league of Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan (₹55 crore) as well as Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff-starrer War (₹51.60 crore). 

As per trade analyst Girish Wankhede, War 2 will rely on the audience's word-of-mouth after the first day, first shows. 

"'War 2' will depend on word-of-mouth as it caters to urban audience. It's a niche market. However, 'Coolie' doesn't need word-of-mouth. It doesn't only have Rajinikanth, it also has Aamir Khan. 'War 2', a city-centric film, also has Jr NTR, a big advantage in the Telugu states. Eventually, films for mass consumption generate huge avenues. Even film has ups and downs, but for 'Coolie', it's all ups and no downs," Wankhede said.