, Aug. 23 -- Despite high expectations and Independence Day releases, both Rajinikanth's Coolie and Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR's War 2 underperformed at the box office, falling short of the benchmark set by the recent hit Saiyaara. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh told NDTV that content - not star power - determines success, and War 2 simply lacked substance.

First Week Earnings

After completing their first week in theaters (released August 14), both films managed to surpass the Rs.200 crore mark domestically but failed to sustain strong momentum, especially considering their massive budgets:

War 2 collected Rs.204.25 crore.

Coolie, which opened as Rajinikanth's biggest debut ever, grossed Rs.229.75 crore.

While War 2 had a strong start in Hind...