Indian superstar Rajinikanth’s Tamil-language action drama “Coolie” stunned Hollywood exhibitors on Thursday, collecting about $4 million in North-American preview shows. The figure puts the film level with Lionsgate’s horror title “Weapons,” which also generated $4 million, and marks one of the strongest U.S. debuts ever recorded for a South-Asian release. Overall traffic remained modest as the late-summer box-office slowdown continued. Universal’s “Nobody 2,” the weekend’s biggest studio release, drew $1.3 million in previews, while 20th-Century’s “Freakier Friday” opened to $2.1 million. Other titles crossing the $1 million mark included Disney/Marvel’s “Fantastic 4” reboot at $1.5 million, Yash Raj Films’ “War 2” with $1.4 million and DreamWorks’ animated sequel “The Bad Guys 2” at $1.1 million. Specialty fare also showed pockets of strength. GKIDS’ 4K re-issue of “Shin Godzilla” grossed $850,000 from 1,290 sites, and Warner Bros.-Apple’s “F1 The Movie” added $310,000 on Thursday, lifting its domestic total to roughly $180 million and global haul to $580 million. Warner’s “Superman” reached $586.6 million worldwide through Thursday, narrowing the historical gap with 2008’s “Iron Man” ($585.8 million). The preview results suggest a fragmented but still active marketplace, with genre pictures and international titles filling gaps left by lighter studio schedules. Weekend momentum now hinges on whether “Coolie” can convert its surprising first-night turnout into sustained attendance beyond its core diaspora audience.