At 75, Rajinikanth is still the box office beast with 12 Rs 100 crore blockbusters

At 75, Rajinikanth is doing what few superstars manage to achieve across a career spanning five decades: remain at the centre of the box-office conversation while continuing to push the commercial ceiling of Tamil cinema, one film at a time. With Jailer 2 collecting Rs 744 crore worldwide, the actor has added another landmark to a filmography that includes 12 blockbusters earning between Rs 100 crore to Rs 700 crore.The numbers tell a story of remarkable longevity. From Sivaji and Enthiran to Kabali, 2.0, Jailer and now Jailer 2, Rajinikanth has repeatedly delivered films that have drawn audiences beyond Tamil Nadu and reached viewers across markets. According to the worldwide collection figures cited from IMDb, 12 of his films have grossed more than Rs 100 crore each, with three crossing the Rs 600-crore mark and Jailer 2 emerging as the biggest earner on the list.For an actor who began his career in the 1970s, this is more than a collection of box-office milestones. It is a measure of how his star power has endured through changing audience tastes, evolving cinema and successive generations of moviegoers.From Sivaji to Jailer 2: A box-office journeyRajinikanth's commercial journey has unfolded alongside the expansion of Tamil cinema's theatrical reach. Director Shankar's Sivaji, released in 2007, was a major milestone in his career, followed by Enthiran in 2010, which paired his star power with an ambitious science-fiction spectacle. The film demonstrated the scale at which a Rajinikanth-led production could be mounted and marketed. The years that followed brought films such as Kabali and Kaala with Pa Ranjith, which explored different dimensions of his screen persona while retaining the larger-than-life presence audiences associate with him. Petta and Darbar continued his run of films crossing the Rs 100-crore mark, while 2.0 took the spectacle to a different scale with its science-fiction premise and visual effects.His recent success has been particularly striking. Jailer, released in 2023, became a major commercial hit, with Rajinikanth playing Tiger Muthuvel Pandian, a retired jailer drawn into a dangerous conflict. Its success demonstrated the enduring appeal of a role that combined action, humour and the actor's trademark screen presence. The sequel has now raised the benchmark further. Jailer 2, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, has earned Rs 744 crore worldwide, according to trade tracker Sacnilk. The collection puts the film ahead of the other titles on this list, including 2.0 and the first Jailer.Rajinikanth's 12 films that crossed Rs 100 crore worldwideAccording to the worldwide gross figures by MDb, these 12 films have each crossed Rs 100 crore.FilmWorldwide grossJailer 2Rs 744 crore2.0Rs 660.3 croreJailerRs 607.3 croreKabaliRs 294.2 croreEnthiranRs 293.1 croreadvertisementVettaiyanRs 239.5 crorePettaRs 216.1 croreDarbarRs 202.1 croreKaalaRs 153.9 croreSivajiRs 153.2 croreAnnattheRs 146.1 croreLingaaRs 136.5 croreThe Thalaivar phenomenon: More than box-office numbersWhat makes Rajinikanth's run notable is not simply the number of films that have crossed a particular collection milestone. It is the span of time over which he has remained a major theatrical draw.The industry around him has changed considerably. Heroes came and left. But, he stayed put on top, giving tough competition to those who came after him and still continues to do so. The scale of film production has expanded, overseas markets have become increasingly important, and multilingual releases have opened up wider audiences for Tamil films. The way films are promoted and measured commercially has also evolved, with opening-day collections and worldwide gross figures now central to the conversation around a film's performance.Rajinikanth has continued to command attention through these shifts. His screen persona, built over decades, remains a crucial part of the appeal, whether he is playing a larger-than-life hero in a spectacle such as 2.0 or the ageing but formidable Tiger Muthuvel Pandian in the Jailer franchise.The success of the two Jailer films also shows how a familiar star can find a fresh commercial vehicle without abandoning the qualities that made him popular. The character's humour, authority and action-driven appeal gave audiences a different setting in which to experience Rajinikanth's star power.For a superstar whose career began long before these box-office milestones became routine headlines, the most remarkable part may be this: he is still adding new chapters to the story.- Ends