India, Aug. 18 -- Two films released in theatres across India this weekend. Rajinikanth made a triumphant return to form with Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie; while Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR joined forces in Yash Raj Films' War 2. Both films had a lot going for them. Coolie had Rajni's star power, Loki's credibility, and a whole lot of cameos. War 2 had double the star power of two young stars, the momentum of being a legacy sequel, and one of the widest releases in Indian cinema history. What went against each film was its quality. Both War 2 and Coolie are bang average films.

Yet, Coolie was able to break several box office records. Despite lukewarm reviews, its word of mouth did not falter. But across the board, the same did not work for th...