Riteish Deshmukh’s directorial debut "Raja Shivaji" has broken the opening-day record for the highest-grossing Marathi-language film by outperforming other Marathi-language blockbusters such as "Sairat" and Riteish's 2022 directorial debut "Ved".
As per figures obtained by box office tracker Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 11.35 crore in domestic net earnings and Rs 13.51 crore in total domestic gross in India. "Sairat" had earned only Rs 3.60 crore, and "Ved" Rs 2.25 crore.
The film's success was heavily driven by its original Marathi version, which showed massive demand despite having relatively fewer shows than the Hindi version.
The Marathi version earned Rs 8.00 crore net from 1,941 shows, maintaining a strong 68.0% occupancy. The Hindi version netted Rs 3.35 crore across 4,251 shows with an occupancy rate of 16.0%.
Maharashtra cinema halls witnessed the highest footfalls, particularly in major urban centres. The Marathi version registered 73.5% occupancy in Mumbai, across 601 shows; 82.5% occupancy across 362 shows in Pune; 39.0% occupancy across 95 shows in Bengaluru.
It collected a significant amount in advance bookings alone, around Rs 5.14 crore gross (approx. 2.17 lakh tickets sold).
The Rs 11.35 crore net opening also places it above other notable historical dramas such as Kangana Ranaut’s "Manikarnika" (Rs 8.75 crore). However, it trailed behind "Chhaava" (Rs 33.50 crore).
Notably, the Marathi version of "Raja Shivaji" alone earned Rs 8 crore, a higher figure than the Marathi version of "Tanhaji" (Rs 0.10 crore), on its opening day. "Tanhaji" had earned a total of around Rs 15.10 crore on the first day.
Directed by Riteish Deshmukh and produced by Jio Studios and Mumbai Film Company, the film also features Genelia Deshmukh and Vidya Balan in major female roles. Abhishek Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt appear in integral supporting parts, with Salman Khan in a cameo.
"Raja Shivaji" is reportedly the most expensive Marathi production to date with a budget of approximately Rs 100 crore. This places it closer in production value to "Chhaava" (Rs 130 crore) than previous Marathi historicals like "Sher Shivraj" or "Pawankhind".
