Sep 27, 2026 2:30pm IST
Trade Talk: ‘Rajinikanth’s ‘Jailer 2’ To Become The First Tamil Film To Cross 1000-Crore Mark Globally’
With Dhanush-led “OM Chapter 1: Udhiram - The Blood Wood” averting a head-on box-office clash with Rajinikanth-starrer “Jailer 2,” the latter is expected to rake in a massive opening because of the solo run, coupled with it being the festive period and given Rajini’s humungous fandom, it is poised to become the first Tamil movie to cross the ₹1000 crore benchmark globally.
Interestingly, out of the top three Tamil grossers, two films belong to Rajinikanth: “2.0” (₹691 crore) and “Jailer” (₹604.50 crore). Thalapathy Vijay’s “Leo” holds the second spot with the worldwide collections of ₹605.90 crore.
Also, since “Jailer 2” has cameos by superstars of other industries – Mohanlal (Malayalam), Shiva Rajkumar (Kannada) and Hrithik Roshan (Hindi) – it can help the film perform across the country, especially with Roshan’s presence helping boost collections in the northern part of the country.
Chennai-based trade tracker Ramesh Bala says the film has potential to achieve this milestone if it gets good exposure in the Hindi market. “The film features stars like Mohanlal and Shiva Rajkumar. Hrithik Roshan’s cameo can help the opening in the Hindi market. So, if the movie releases in multiplex chains like PVR INOX in Hindi and Hrithik has a significant presence in the film, his combination with superstar Rajini can pull the audience. So on paper, certainly Tamil cinema's best bet right now, is only ‘Jailer 2,’ which has the possibility to do ₹1000 crore. If word-of-mouth is good and it gets a proper release in all the multiplexes and single screens, then it has a chance.”
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Prominent distributor and producer G Dhananjheyan also seconds Bala’s thoughts and shares, “‘Jailer 2’ has huge box-office potential considering it has got the biggest pan-India starcast, ever assembled in a film, including Hrithik Roshan, Vidya Balan, Tamannaah from Hindi, Mohanlal from Malayalam cinema, Shiva Rajkumar from Kannada, Vijay Sethupathi and SJ Suryah from Tamil cinema and many others. Further, being a sequel to a biggest Tamil hit, the expectations ride high in all markets, especially in South India. If the content works out well, which is the key, the film certainly has the potential to cross the ₹1000 crore mark, for the first time for a Tamil film.”
On the other hand, Vishek Chauhan, the CEO at Roopbani Cinema in Bihar, doubts the sequel achieving this milestone, due to its weak music compared to its prequel. “‘Jailer’ did huge numbers and ‘Jailer 2’ is a heavily anticipated film. But I think the music of ‘Jailer’ clicked in a big way. I don't think the music of ‘Jailer 2’ has gone as wide and deep. I think the songs of Jailer, the theme, etc., were very well loved. ‘Hukum’ and ‘Kaavaalaa’ and all those songs were immensely popular. Those songs set Tamannaah on a different route and put her on a completely different tangent.”
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He shares that the film will open well, but since it will have a non-multiplex release in Hindi dubbed versions, the collections in the North Indian market will not be up to the mark. “This one is a direct sequel and will play much wider because ‘Jailer’ was greatly watched. Not so sure about the Hindi belt because barring ‘Robot’ and ‘2.0,’ there is nothing of Rajinikanth that has opened very well here. So, I don't know what kind of opening they're looking at. And I think this will be a non-multiplex release. So, I don't think ‘Jailer 2’ will be getting a multiplex release because it's a four-week window they've given to Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. So I don't think the multiplexes in the North will be screening the film. So, that would also be sort of a hindrance in terms of its box-office numbers.”
But in Tamil Nadu and South India, the numbers will definitely be magical for the first two-three days. And if the report is good and the content ticks well, it has a good shot at doing great numbers. Reckons Chauhan, The first task it has, is to overtake ‘Jailer’’s numbers. And from there, wherever it goes. But I think the music on this one is not of that level of ‘Jailer.’ 'm not getting that vibe so far. But obviously, people will definitely give it a shot. And I think it is set for a huge, huge start. Much bigger than ‘Jailer’ across the other belts of India, North included.”
Directed by Nelson, the film is set to hit the screens on October 15.
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