Rajinikanth already owned the record for the biggest Tamil film ever. Now he has taken it from himself.
Jailer 2, Nelson Dilipkumar's sequel to the 2023 hit, crossed ₹710 crore worldwide on its 11th day, 25 October, overtaking Shankar's 2.0 (2018) and its reported ₹691 crore. Sacnilk's figures, carried by The Hollywood Reporter India, The Week and others, also make it the first Tamil film past ₹700 crore.
The run so far
Figures from trade tracker Sacnilk, as reported:
- Opening day (15 October): ₹59.7 crore India net, the film's biggest day
- Global opening weekend: about $31.2 million, second only to Hollywood's Street Fighter worldwide, per ARY News citing Rentrak estimates
- After 11 days: ₹466.85 crore India gross, ₹243.50 crore overseas, ₹710.35 crore worldwide
- After 14 days: about ₹492 crore India gross and ₹420 crore net, per The Week
Sacnilk's tracker now shows about ₹790 crore worldwide. Overseas, the Middle East has crossed $8 million and North America about $7 million, as per Sacnilk.
The asterisk on the record
2.0's producers never officially confirmed its lifetime gross. The ₹691 crore figure is Sacnilk's; some reports put 2.0 closer to ₹800 crore. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala told The CSR Journal that older figures may be rounded estimates. So the crown is real on tracked numbers, and debatable on folklore. With Jailer 2 heading for ₹800 crore anyway, the debate may settle itself.
The market that sat it out
Here is the twist. PVR INOX and Cinepolis did not screen the Hindi version outside South India, because the producers reportedly agreed a four-week gap before streaming. The national chains insist on eight weeks for Hindi releases, The Week reported, and fear one exception would break the rule.
The result, per Sacnilk: ₹39.95 crore Hindi net in 12 days. 2.0 made ₹188.23 crore in Hindi over its lifetime. Producer and analyst G Dhananjayan has argued about ₹200 crore was left on the table in North India, enough, he says, to push the film past ₹1,000 crore. Sacnilk's own analysis is more sceptical: even with full multiplex access, Hindi audiences per show were far below what Pushpa 2 drew.
Even so, theatres in the North dropped Hindi releases Nayyi Navelli and Prahaar to add Jailer 2 shows, according to Sacnilk.
The big screen, and the small one
Sun Pictures says Rajinikanth joined fans at an IMAX show of the film, his first time watching with an audience in a theatre in 40 years, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter India.
The streaming home is reportedly Amazon Prime Video, around mid-November, per Esquire India; the makers have not confirmed it. Before that, the film faces Ramayana: Part 1, which takes over premium screens from 5 November.
Why it matters
A Tamil film has posted India's second-biggest worldwide gross of 2026, behind only Dhurandhar: The Revenge, per The Week's 26 October count, while skipping the country's biggest multiplex chains in Hindi. That is a win for regional cinema and a warning for the windows fight. Producers want streaming money sooner. Theatres want time. Jailer 2 has shown both sides what the bill looks like.
Figures are trade estimates and may be revised.
