Rajinikanth Coolientiment and Record Telugu deal / Rajamouli- L3 Empuran title updates

 Jailer 2 release date has a flashback. In 1975 on August 15^th Rajinikant first film Apoorva Ragangal was releasd. Now in 50 year in filmdom, his 171 film release takes place on same date. The theatrical rights of Coolie in the Telugu states have reportedly been sold for 40 crores, creating a new benchmark for Tamil dubbed films.  Yesterday we had said that WAR 2 on same day with NTR Jr will not do any harm to Coolie in South States except two Telugu States but now trade feels that Coolie is the best bet than the Hindi dubbed.

Earlier Suriya’s Kanguva sold for 25 crores, Vijay’s Leo for 20 crores, and Rajini’s own Jailer for 17 crores were sold. This means Coolie needs to collect a minimum gross of 75-80 crores in Telugu to breakeven for the buyers . Read; https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2025/04/coolieis-clear-winner-in-war-2-clash.html

Ashwin shared that Kalki 2 will delve deeper into the arcs of Karna and Ashwatthama, bringing these two mythologically rooted characters into the spotlight. He revealed that the sequel will primarily focus on these characters, giving both significantly more screen time  on Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan’s characters. In addition, Kamal Haasan’s mysterious character, Supreme Yaskin, will also be one of the major highlights of the sequel. While audiences only saw a glimpse of him in Kalki 2898 AD, the sequel will delve deeper into his dark persona.

Additionally, the sequel will involve heavy VFX work and elaborate world-building, which means post-production could take time. 

Rajamouli’s upcoming film SSMB 29, starring Mahesh Babu, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Priyanka Chopra, has been making headlines ever since its announcement. While initial reports suggested that the movie would be a two-part spectacle, fresh updates reveal that Rajamouli has opted for a single-film narrative. The film, set against the backdrop of Kashi, is a high-octane forest adventure that promises to push the boundaries of Indian cinema. With production already underway, the team has an extensive shooting schedule planned until mid-2026, aiming for a grand release in the summer of 2027.

Renowned composer Deepak Dev has sparked speculation about the title of the much-anticipated third installment in the Lucifer trilogy, starring Mohanlal, following his recent revelations in an exclusive interview with Club FM. Deepak Dev, known for his distinctive musical contributions to Malayalam cinema, hinted that “Azrael” could potentially be the title for Lucifer Part 3. The speculation arises from a pivotal song in the climax of Empuraan, the second part of the trilogy, featuring the resonant vocals of Usha Uthup repeating the word “Azrael.”

In the interview, Deepak Dev reflected on the creative process behind the trilogy’s titles, noting that similar organic developments occurred with the naming of Empuraan after a significant song in the first installment, Lucifer. He recalled discussions with director Prithviraj Sukumaran, who sought a commanding voice for the song, which inadvertently led to the title reveal for the subsequent film.

Bahubaali 2 still ahead of KGF 2 and RRR in terms of footfalls

Bahubaali 2 is still ahead of KGF 2 and RRR in terms of viewership or otherwise known as footfalls in theaters, says a trade analyst . Though the box office figures are quoted to show that KGF 2 outstripped BB2 , truth lies somewhere in between.

As we have to take into consideration the entrance ticket price hike after BB2 released in April 2017,  the box office figures of KGF 2 and RRR cannot be a barometer for a comparison. As per a study done BB2 footfall was 5.1 crore and at the time of writing , the KGF 2 was 1.75 crore and RRR was  1.6 crore.

To set record straight, all those who claim that KGF and RRR have even beaten Top Hindi films . Here is a numbers - Bajraang Baijaan - 3.2 crores and Dangal -  3.1 crores footfalls. In short, KGF 2 and RRR claim that their film was seen by more people than the two Hindi films and BB 2 is a lopsided way of looking at it. BB2 completed the total run with a Rs 510 crore nett. As on date , RRR nett World wide is Rs 600.14 crore. KGF 2 is still running.

US markets have not favoured KGF 2 like it did for RRR.  KGF 2 took a $ 4.15 million first week and slumped to $93K . RRR on the other hand did not open as big as KGF 2 but second week and third week collections was five time more than KGF. BB2 gross in USA was $12.5 million. Here again one reason given is that premiere shows were less for RRR and KGF 2 but with the cost of ticket  high , patronage post Covid in the US market was restricted and audience choosy.  KGF 2 slump is said to be because the film is a Kannada film dubbed into Tamil and Telugu languages and so the Tamilans and Andhra / TS origin people patronage was less than that to RRR . For footfalls for BB2 being higher than RRR in USA, reason is that BB2 was a sequel and over time and streaming of Part 1 on TV, audience grew manifold. So is KGF 2 a sequel, but why this did not happen ?. Answer is that  KGF  did not pose an interesting question - Why did Kattappa kill Baahubaali ?

Meanwhile , Chiranjeevi- Ram Charan Acharya bookings for USA premiere opened and in 623 shows pre sales was $ 287,778 . Not a bad start feels trade. CM Jagan has allowed theaters to up ticket rates in opening week in Andhra and also a 5th show can be screened.