Coolie Vs War 2 Advance Booking: Rajinikanth's Film Surges Ahead Of Hrithik-NTR Starrer In Overseas Market

Coolie Vs War 2 Advance Booking: With just a week left for release, the advance booking trends for Coolie and War 2, both slated for an August 14, 2025, worldwide release, suggest a strong early lead for the Rajinikanth-starrer in key international markets, especially North America.

Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the Sun Pictures banner, Coolie is shaping up to be a major overseas contender. According to film industry tracker AB George, advance ticket sales for Coolie's U.S. premiere have reached over $1.15 million across 447 locations with 1,276 shows. Total pre-sales across North America now stand at approximately $1.33 million, a sharp jump of $100,000 from the previous day.

In contrast, War 2, headlined by Hrithik Roshan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and directed by Ayan Mukerji for Yash Raj Films, is trailing. As of now, the film's advance sales in the U.S. stand at $246,000 from 662 locations with 1,776 shows. The combined North American figure, including all language versions, has reached about $266,000.

While the Telugu version of War 2 is performing relatively better thanks to NTR Jr.'s presence, early reports suggest that bookings for the Hindi version remain unexpectedly low. Trade analyst Navneet Mundhra noted that despite having two leading stars, the film has not yet gained strong momentum in traditional Hindi-speaking overseas markets.

In the Gulf region too, Coolie appears to be outpacing War 2, buoyed by Rajinikanth's long-standing popularity in the Middle East. However, analysts caution that Coolie may face challenges in Hindi-speaking territories in India, where the distribution by PEN Studios has reportedly not been as aggressive.

Coolie and War 2 Gear Up for Simultaneous Release Amid Growing Box Office Buzz

Coolie features a large ensemble cast, including Nagarjuna Akkineni, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, and Aamir Khan. Anirudh Ravichander has scored the music for the film, while Girish Gangadharan handled the cinematography and Philomin Raj took care of the editing.

Meanwhile, War 2 continues the YRF Spy Universe with Hrithik reprising his role from the 2019 film. The sequel also marks NTR Jr.'s Hindi debut, with Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, and Ashutosh Rana rounding out the cast.

With both films sharing the same release date, trade observers are watching the pre-release trends closely. While Coolie is currently leading the overseas race, especially in North America and the Gulf, the situation in domestic markets is likely to be more competitive in the coming days.