Riteish Deshmukh's blockbuster "Raja Shivaji" is set to conclude its run by beating the lifetime Marathi net earnings of both "Baipan Bhari Deva" (Rs 76.28 crore) and "Sairat" (Rs 81 crore) within the home state, setting a brand-new benchmark for regional Marathi cinema.
Based on its current trajectory as of Day 17, "Raja Shivaji" is projected to achieve a final worldwide lifetime gross collection of around Rs 125 crore (or more).
The big-scale historical epic witnessed an impressive 86.2% upward trajectory on its third Saturday, collecting Rs 2.70 crore compared to the 1.45 crore on the third Friday. This performance is similar to that of "Tanhaji" and "Chhaava", where family audiences filled theatres over weekends.
What's even more impressive is that "Raja Shivaji" is producing these numbers with only 688 reported shows in its current rotation.
Though "Raja Shivaji" has a lower absolute lifetime net compared to some Hindi mega blockbusters, its localised performance in Maharashtra puts it in line to dethrone the regional heavyweights to become the highest-earning film in its history.
The Marathi version continues to be the principal revenue generator compared to the Hindi version. The success is naturally attributed to intense cultural and regional pride across Maharashtra, where theatres saw a major surge in evening and night show occupancies during weekends.
However, the Hindi version hasn't reportedly been able to make big national waves despite major promotional pushes and high-profile star cameos (including Salman Khan). Various sources point to select urban multiplex circuits within Maharashtra and parts of the Hindi belt (like Delhi-NCR and CP Berar) for bringing in much revenue.
The epic, which was simultaneously shot in Marathi and Hindi, is one of the most expensive and ambitious projects in the Marathi film industry. The Marathi version has a runtime of 195 minutes, while the Hindi version runs for 187 minutes.
Shot by ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan, the film has music by Ajay-Atul. Urvashi Saxena handled the editing.