Riteish Deshmukh’s ambitious historical epic Raja Shivaji has emerged as the clear winner at the Indian box office, posting strong Day 2 numbers and comfortably outperforming its theatrical rival Ek Din.
Raja Shivaji Box Office Collection
The film, which released in cinemas on 1 May, has shown solid momentum during its opening weekend. As of 7 pm on its second day in theatres, Raja Shivaji had collected ₹5.37 crore net in India through live ticket sales, according to industry tracking figures. This has pushed its total India net collection to ₹16.72 crore, while its gross domestic earnings stand at ₹19.84 crore. Final Day 2 figures are yet to be reported.
The historical drama is currently running across 4,648 shows nationwide and recorded an occupancy rate of 25.4 per cent during Saturday screenings, reflecting strong audience turnout for the first weekend.
The performance marks a major jump from its opening day and points to healthy weekend traction for the film, which is already being seen as a landmark release for Marathi cinema.
In comparison, Ek Din has struggled to generate momentum at the box office. After opening to a modest ₹1.15 crore net on Day 1, the film has failed to show significant growth on Saturday. Real-time trade data from Sacnilk shows the film collected only around ₹40 lakh net by 7 pm on Day 2.
This takes Ek Din’s total India gross to an estimated ₹1.85 crore, while its net collection currently stands at around ₹1.55 crore.
The sharp difference in collections underlines the clear audience preference for Raja Shivaji, which has benefitted from wider reach, stronger advance bookings and heightened interest around its scale and subject.
About the film
Co-written and directed by Riteish Deshmukh, Raja Shivaji is based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire. The actor also plays the lead role in the film.
Produced by Genelia Deshmukh and Jyoti Deshpande under the banners of Mumbai Film Company and Jio Studios, the film features an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Amole Gupte and Genelia Deshmukh.
The project was officially announced on 19 February 2024, with principal photography beginning later that same month. Filming took place across Mumbai, Satara, Wai, Mahabaleshwar and several locations in the Western Ghats.
Made simultaneously in Marathi and Hindi, the film carries a reported budget of ₹100 crore, making it the most expensive Marathi film ever produced.
The film’s strong opening is being closely watched by trade analysts, as its box office performance could set a new benchmark for large-scale regional cinema releases. With the weekend still underway, Raja Shivaji appears set to strengthen its hold at the box office while widening the gap over Ek Din.
