Fifty years of screen magic--- Hrithik Roshan wrote in tweet to celebrate Rajinikanth's long silver screen stint as the Bollywood actor's new movie War 2 clashes with the southern superstar's Coolie, a screen showdown that exhibitors say will make this Independence Day holiday one of the biggest box-office high points of 2025.
About Rs 300-350 crore is riding on the August 15 long weekend, expects Sanjay Barjatya, CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Roongta Cinemas.
"With Rajinikanth’s unparalleled fan following across both South and North India and Hrithik Roshan’s War franchise commanding massive nationwide anticipation, this year’s line-up of major titles like War 2 and Coolie, coupled with the strong momentum from recent hits, positions us well to replicate or even surpass last year’s stellar performance, said Gautam Dutta, CEO, Revenue & Operations, PVR INOX.
I-Day bonanza
Last year’s Independence Day weekend generated over Rs 350 crore in gross collections nationwide, led by the success of Stree 2, which alone contributed around Rs 230 crore.
"The Independence Day weekend is traditionally one of the most lucrative periods for Indian cinemas, as the combination of a national holiday, extended weekend, and high-profile film releases drives massive audience turnout. This window often sees a surge in both single-day and cumulative collections, significantly boosting the month’s overall box-office performance," Dutta added.
Coolie is gearing up to become Rajinikanth’s career-best opener, with a first-day business of around Rs 67 crore, higher than the actor's last biggest opener --- the 2018 movie 2.0, which opened at Rs 60.25 crore.
There has been an intense pre-release buzz for Coolie, which has recorded a staggering advance pre-sales, said Dutta. Coolie has sold 12 lakh tickets in advance, amounting to Rs 30 crore whereas War 2 has seen Rs 10 crore in advance ticket sales, pointed out Barjatya.
While War 2 was expected to do business of Rs 100 crore on day one, exhibitors said the buzz for the film is not as strong as that for Coolie. The second installment of the 2019 War by Yash Raj Films (YRF) is estimated to collect Rs 60-64 crore on day one, with the Telugu market accounting for 50 percent of the total collections.
"War 2’s advance bookings aren’t record-breaking yet but they are steady, and I expect them to pick up significantly as we get closer to release," said Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, MD (Managing Director), Miraj Entertainment.
Coolie, on the other hand, he said, has seen very strong advances, especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and is also expected to perform well in Hindi-speaking markets. "With its massive star cast and broad appeal, it has all the ingredients to deliver the big numbers."
Barjatya noted that the crossovers are proving to be a successful strategy for cinemas.
"Aamir Khan in Coolie and Jr NTR in War 2 are attracting audiences from across regions with Jr NTR attracting a lot of Telugu audience for War 2. Also, when Pushpa's trailer launch happened in Patna, it was a significant step by the South Indian industry to focus on North India. We will see more crossovers," he added.
For August 15 releases, Mendiratta said they have the potential to become the biggest films of the year.
Satwik Lele, COO (Chief Operating Officer), MA2 (Mukta A2 Cinemas), noted that the success of Saiyaara and Mahavatar Narsimha has set a vibrant tone at the box office, and War 2 and Coolie will carry that forward. "The Independence Day weekend will be a high point of the year’s box office performance."
Box-office boom
Mahavatar Narsimha, released on July 25, has so far collected around Rs 131 crore with a budget of Rs 30 crore, while Saiyaara released on July 18, has earned Rs 327 crore, with a cost of production of around Rs 45 crore.
"The recent success of Saiyaara and Mahavatar Narsimha has injected strong momentum into the box office. We expect this momentum to not only sustain but build further with the Independence Day weekend, creating one of the most vibrant box office weekends of the year," PVR INOX's Dutta said.
Mendiratta also expects the strong run to carry through the rest of August and into September and October, which also have a solid release line-up. "From here on, I don’t see any slow months for the industry in terms of box-office performance."
Girish Johar, a producer and film trade expert, noted that Hollywood and Bollywood have bounced back and many more big Hindi and English movies are scheduled to come this year.
"It has been a good year for exhibitors so far and a lot better than 2024. Year 2025 has the potential to surpass 2023 (box office) numbers," he added.
For the India box office, 2023 emerged as the best year ever with collections of Rs 12,226 crore, surpassing the 2019 business of Rs 10,948 crore.
While there were many ups and downs last year, Barjatya said that the sentiments have changed in the last few months,starting from the release of the Aamir Khan-starrer Sitaare Zameen Par.
"People are not waiting for movies to come on OTT (over-the-top) platforms. They are watching movies in cinemas. When I went to watch Mahavatar Narsimha, it felt like pre-Covid days, with the cinema lobby buzzing and full of people. July-September will be a healthy period and we expect a healthy P&L (profit and loss statement). In 2023, we surpassed 2019 collections, whereas in 2024, nothing worked out and it was one of the worst years in the last decade for the exhibition industry. In 2025, we can touch the 2023 numbers," he said.
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