Rajinikanth's 'Jailer 2' Achieves Midnight Shows in North India, Replaces Other Releases

Rajinikanth's "Jailer 2" has emerged as a significant exception in a year that has otherwise been disappointing for Pan-India films in 2026. The film opened strongly and has maintained its hold across the country, with its Tamil version performing particularly well in North India, showing encouraging occupancy in single screens and non-national multiplexes, despite not releasing in national multiplex chains in any language, according to Bollywood Hungama.

The overwhelming response has led MovieMax to organize midnight shows for "Jailer 2" at two of its properties: MovieMax Huma in Kanjurmarg, Mumbai, and MovieMax Gold in Kalyani Nagar, Pune. Exhibition sources claim this makes "Jailer 2" the first South film to secure midnight shows in the North Indian market in its original language after its release. Notably, MovieMax Gold will also screen a 1:45 am show on Monday, October 19, traditionally a non-weekend day for such timings.

The Hindi version, "Rajini: The Jailer 2," is also performing impressively. It collected Rs. 2.56 crores on Thursday, October 15, followed by Rs. 2.41 crores on Friday. Collections saw a jump to Rs. 3.63 crores on Saturday, with Sunday's earnings projected to reach the Rs. 4 crore mark. These figures are considered significant given the film's absence from national multiplex chains like PVR INOX, Cinepolis, and Miraj due to its four-week OTT window, which conflicts with their standard eight-week theatrical-to-streaming gap.

A trade source informed Bollywood Hungama that "Rajini: The Jailer 2" initially had limited showcasing due to its absence from national chains and competition from new releases such as "Prahaar" and "Nayyi Navelli," as well as the successful holdover "Drishyam The Conclusion." However, with "Nayyi Navelli" failing to impress and "Prahaar" attracting largely an "elite multiplex audience," the demand for "Jailer 2" has surged, leading several cinemas to replace other shows with the Rajinikanth starrer.

For instance, Mumbai's Citylight cinema has dropped "Nayyi Navelli," Marathi film "Sohla," and even "Drishyam The Conclusion" from Monday, October 19, to accommodate two shows each of "Prahaar" and "Rajini: The Jailer 2." The source explained that "Prahaar" retained shows in some Mumbai theatres due to its local story and encouraging performance, but in many centers, particularly in North India, "Prahaar" has lost shows to "Jailer 2."

The growing demand is also reflected in the Hindi version's rapidly expanding show count. On Thursday, the film had 1,730 shows nationwide, nearly doubling to 3,266 on Friday, and further rising to 3,690 on Saturday. Several cinemas, like Maratha Mandir and Kasturba in Malad, are dedicating almost their entire showcasing to "Jailer 2," with Kasturba screening three Hindi shows and one Tamil show daily.

An industry insider commented that Monday, October 19, will be "almost like a holiday," with Dussehra celebrated on Tuesday, October 20, suggesting "Rajini: The Jailer 2" can perform "exceptionally well on both days." While dubbed action films typically find a strong audience in Gujarat, the territory is yet to fully engage due to ongoing Navratri celebrations, with collections expected to "zoom in Gujarat from October 20 or 21."

The source added that "Rajini: The Jailer 2" can comfortably continue its theatrical run until Diwali. Rajinikanth's previous release, "Coolie" (2025), collected Rs. 34 crores in its Hindi lifetime with a national chain release. "Jailer 2" aims to surpass this figure, which would be a significant achievement considering its performance without national multiplex support.

What to watch: The film's continued box office performance through the festive season.

Editor's note: The draft covers all technical box office performance details, the specific cinema context, and the exhibition nuances mentioned in the source.