Rajinikanth rarely signs a sequel, so when he does, the result is treated as an event. Jailer 2, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and produced by Sun Pictures, has kept that event expanding into its second weekend. After nine days in cinemas, the film has grossed ₹628 crore worldwide, entering the list of the 20 highest-grossing Indian films of all time.
A milestone built over nine days
The film converted festive momentum into record-book placement. It crossed ₹400 crore worldwide in its first four days, moved past ₹500 crore in its first week, and sailed beyond ₹600 crore after Navratri and Dussehra. On its second Friday, it added ₹14.50 crore net in India, taking domestic net collections to ₹348.85 crore and domestic gross to ₹408.55 crore.
Overseas is contributing heavily too. The film has collected $23 million internationally in nine days, with several days matching or beating domestic earnings.
- First four days: past ₹400 crore worldwide
- First week: past ₹500 crore worldwide
- Day nine: past ₹600 crore, and into the all-time top 20 at ₹628 crore
Whose records it pushed aside
Entering the top 20 is also about the titles left behind. Jailer 2 now sits at the 20th spot, displacing Salman Khan’s Sultan, which ended at ₹623 crore. It has also passed the final worldwide collections of Prabhas’ Salaar (₹617 crore) and Saiyaara (₹578 crore).
In Tamil cinema, the climb is even quicker. The film overtook the first Jailer (₹604 crore) and Vijay’s Leo (₹605 crore) on Thursday to become the second-highest-grossing Tamil film ever. The only title left is Shankar’s 2.0, which closed at ₹691 crore in 2018. The gap is roughly ₹63 crore.
Why this matters beyond Tamil cinema
For Hindi cinema watchers, this is another sign that the all-time Indian table has become a cross-language contest. A Tamil tentpole can now enter a list that includes Sultan and Salaar. Bollywood names are part of the package too: Mithun Chakraborty, Vidya Balan and Jackie Shroff feature in the cast, Hrithik Roshan has a high-profile cameo, and the Tamil record it is chasing stars Akshay Kumar opposite Rajinikanth.
Rajinikanth’s decision to revisit “Tiger” Muthuvel Pandian is the subplot. The star has historically refused sequels to his biggest hits, making Jailer 2 a rare franchise extension. The early numbers suggest scarcity worked: the return was consumed as an event, not an annual instalment.
What to watch next
The second-weekend hold will decide whether Jailer 2 only enters the record books or eventually owns the biggest Tamil number. It needs to keep weekday drops narrow. If it does, 2.0‘s ₹691 crore record could fall within days; if not, it still holds a top-20 Indian place and the second spot in Tamil history.
Source: Hindustan Times
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