Rajinikanth is not slowing down. At 75, the Tamil superstar has just added another blockbuster to his name. His latest film, Jailer 2, has crossed Rs 744 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of his career. With this, Rajinikanth now has 12 films that have each earned more than Rs 100 crore at the global box office. The numbers show a simple truth: age has not touched his pull at the ticket window.
Jailer 2 Pushes Rajinikanth to a New Career Peak
Jailer 2 arrived in theatres on October 15, 2026. Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, the film brought back Rajinikanth as the retired jailer Tiger Muthuvel Pandian. Trade tracker Sacnilk reported that the sequel earned Rs 744 crore worldwide during its theatrical run. The figure places Jailer 2 above every other film in Rajinikanth’s filmography, including 2.0 and the first Jailer.
The sequel’s opening was huge. It crossed the Rs 100 crore mark worldwide on its very first day. By the end of its first weekend, the film had collected over Rs 424 crore globally. The film also became the first Tamil movie to record two separate Rs 100 crore days at the Indian box office.
The Full List: Rajinikanth’s 12 Rs 100 Crore Films
Data compiled from trade sources shows the worldwide gross of each of the 12 films that crossed the Rs 100 crore mark:
- Jailer 2 – Rs 744 crore
- 2.0 – Rs 660.3 crore
- Jailer – Rs 607.3 crore
- Kabali – Rs 294.2 crore
- Enthiran – Rs 293.1 crore
- Vettaiyan – Rs 239.5 crore
- Petta – Rs 216.1 crore
- Darbar – Rs 202.1 crore
- Kaala – Rs 153.9 crore
- Sivaji – Rs 153.2 crore
- Annatthe – Rs 146.1 crore
- Lingaa – Rs 136.5 crore
The list stretches from Sivaji in 2007 to Jailer 2 in 2026. Three of these films have crossed the Rs 600 crore mark, and Jailer 2 leads the group.
How Rajinikanth Keeps Breaking Records at 75
The span of Rajinikanth’s box office success is unusual. The film industry around him has changed many times over five decades. New heroes have arrived, production scales have grown, and overseas markets have become a major part of a film’s earnings. Rajinikanth has stayed at the top through all of it.
His screen persona remains the centre of his appeal. He can play a larger-than-life hero in a spectacle like 2.0, and he can also play an ageing but formidable character like Tiger Muthuvel Pandian in the Jailer series. The success of the two Jailer films shows that a familiar star can find a fresh commercial vehicle without leaving behind what made him popular.
Rajinikanth’s Post-Pandemic Box Office Reign
The last few years have been especially strong. Rajinikanth has delivered five theatrical releases since the pandemic: Annaatthe, Jailer, Vettaiyan, Coolie, and Jailer 2. Each of these films contributed to a major milestone. Rajinikanth crossed the Rs 1000 crore net mark at the Indian box office in the post-COVID era, becoming only the second Kollywood star to do so.
His post-pandemic domestic net total reached Rs 1031.82 crore after the first three days of Jailer 2. The breakdown shows the scale of his run: Annaatthe earned Rs 106.77 crore net, Jailer earned Rs 348.55 crore net, Vettaiyan added Rs 146.89 crore net, and Coolie brought in Rs 285.01 crore net. In the post-COVID era, Rajinikanth also became the highest-grossing Kollywood star worldwide, moving past Thalapathy Vijay.
What Rajinikanth Says About Working at 75
Rajinikanth has spoken openly about why he still takes on lead roles at his age. At a promotional event for Jailer 2, he gave a simple answer.
“I am 75 now. Many people ask me how I am still playing lead roles. Ellam enna vaazha vaikum daivangalana, rasikka varum Tamil makkalala thaan (It is all because of the Tamil people, who are like gods to me, who come and celebrate my work). Without them, I am nothing. I’m just a blade of grass.”
He also explained how he keeps his energy up.
“Firstly, we must love our work. Once that happens, we will get engaged in it naturally. Instead of considering work as work, start considering it as a game. Will we ever get tired of playing? Will we ever be late for a game? I love cinema so much.”
Director Nelson Dilipkumar on Rajinikanth’s Simplicity
Nelson Dilipkumar, who directed both Jailer and Jailer 2, shared a detail about Rajinikanth’s behaviour on set. The director said that of all the stars he has worked with, Rajinikanth arrives with the smallest team.
“Of all the people I have worked with, he is the person who arrives on sets with the least number of staff. They tease him at least five times a day, and he mostly spends quality time with them.”
Nelson added that Rajinikanth does not bring any show of stardom to the set.
“There’s absolutely zero fanfare or hype when he comes to set… with Rajinikanth sir, we’d suddenly look back and find him silently doing something… he’d have arrived ages ago, and we wouldn’t even have known.”
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A Career That Keeps Adding New Chapters
Rajinikanth began his career in the 1970s. The box office milestones he is setting now are not just about collection figures. They show how his star power has lasted through changing audience tastes, new generations of moviegoers, and a completely different film market. Jailer 2 has taken his record to 12 films in the Rs 100 crore club, and the film is still running in theatres. For a star who started decades before these numbers became routine, the story is still being written at the box office.
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more box office updates and entertainment news from Indian cinema.
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