Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's latest action drama, Jailer 2, has already grossed ₹41.48 crore in India, based on advance ticket sales alone, according to Sacnilk. The anticipated sequel, released on October 15, has reportedly sold over 19 lakh tickets in advance, according to the tracker.
While official Day 1 numbers will be confirmed only by the end of October 15, the film is on track to sustain this momentum if advance booking is anything to go by.
Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, the 2023 Tamil action drama introduced viewers to 'Tiger' Muthuvel Pandian, a retired jailer pulled out of his quiet, family life and back into the grim violence of the underworld by his son's kidnapping and apparent murder. The film ended with one of Kollywood's most-discussed climactic moments: a father killing his own son.
Three years later, the Superstar is back as Muthuvel, with Jailer 2. Picking up in the aftermath of the events of the first film, the sequel reunites director Nelson Dilipkumar, composer Anirudh Ravichander and several returning cast members, while introducing a new ensemble that includes SJ Suryah, Vidya Balan, Vijay Sethupathi and more.
At the Jailer 2 Super Show recently telecast on Sun NXT, Rajinikanth spoke about why he broke his sequel rule for Jailer 2. "I usually don’t prefer sequels. I feel like whatever is in Part 1, they’ll add salt and spices to it. I was approached for Baasha 2 and Petta 2, but I did not agree to do them."
He elaborated on how the first film laid the groundwork for a sequel. "Towards the end of the film, when I’m about to kill him, Varman says that he has a huge network who won’t spare me. Also, at the end of Jailer, there are three containers worth ₹1000 crore. I felt it had potential for a sequel."
The 2023 film quickly became the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year, crossing ₹600 crore in worldwide earnings.