Riteish Deshmukh’s passion project, Raja Shivaji, is proving to be far more than just your regular run-of-the-mill historical film, it has become a true box office phenomenon – rewriting the record books for Marathi cinema.
The historical action drama released on May 1, 2026 – coinciding with Maharashtra Day – has had a remarkable run at the box office. By its 10th day, the film crossed Rs 70 crore in net collections – a milestone only two Marathi films have ever reached before it: Sairat and Baipan Bhari Deva.
Day 10 theatre occupancy and box office performance
While the Hindi version performed decently on day 10, the Marathi version performed strongly, with the film starting with a solid 32% occupancy in the morning shows.
In the afternoon, occupancy rose sharply to 59%, and by the evening shows, it climbed further to 64%. The momentum carried through the day, with the second Sunday proving to be a strong performer.
According to Koimoi, Raja Shivaji closed day 10 at an estimated Rs 7–7.2 crore, representing a healthy jump of 16.66% to 20% over day 9’s Rs 6 crore collection. Overall, the film has earned a cumulative Rs 74.3–74.5 crore net at the Indian box office, equivalent to approximately Rs 87.67–87.91 crore gross.
As per Sacnilk, the film collected Rs 73 crore in 10 days across 48,551 shows, drawing over 26.9 lakh footfalls. The heavy occupancy trends – driven almost entirely by the Marathi-language version and anchored in Maharashtra – shows just how deeply the film has connected with its core audience.
The road to a record: Where does it stand in all-time Marathi grossers?
Raja Shivaji is now firmly among the all-time greats of Marathi cinema and is hurtling towards an even higher perch. According to Koimoi, with Rs 67.3 crore on day 9, the film was the third-highest-grossing Marathi film of all time, needing just Rs 8.99 crore more to overtake Baipan Bhari Deva (Rs 76.28 crore) and claim second place – a feat expected to be achieved by day 11.
The film’s ambitions, however, stretch further. Industry analysts believe it is on track to become only the second Marathi film ever to cross the Rs 100 crore gross mark, with Sairat – which collected Rs 110 crore gross – being the only film ahead of it in the all-time rankings.
The film, produced by Jio Studios and Mumbai Film Company, boasts a star-studded ensemble. Directed by Riteish Deshmukh and produced by Genelia Deshmukh and Jyoti Deshpande, it is the most expensive Marathi film ever made, with a reported budget of Rs 75–100 crore.
It features Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Fardeen Khan, Bhagyashree, Mahesh Manjrekar, Boman Irani, and Genelia Deshmukh in supporting roles.
The film chronicles the early life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – his rise as the founder of the Maratha Empire, a story set before his eldest son’s film Chhaava. With Riteish Deshmukh at its helm both as director and lead actor, Raja Shivaji has turned into a cultural event as much as a cinematic one – and the box office numbers are only telling part of the story.