Riteish Deshmukh’s Raja Shivaji arrived in theatres on Friday, May 1. The film was one of the most anticipated projects of the year as it shows the journey of legendary warrior kinf Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The film was released in both Hindi and Marathi, the historical epic recorded solid numbers on Day 1 and saw a stronger response in regional markets.

According to trade website Sacnilk, Raja Shivaji minted 11.70 crore net in India on its opening day. The Marathi version performed better than the Hindi version, with an overall occupancy of 32%.

The film earned 8.75 crore net in Marathi and Rs 2.95 crore net in Hindi. It saw a decent boost and is expected to perform better as the weekend approaches.

Despite a solid start, the film’s opening remains lower than Chhaava, which had collected Rs 33 crore on its first day.

At the box office, the film outperformed Aamir Khan-backed Ek Din, which released on the same day and collected Rs 1 crore on its opening day.

On its release day, the film had 6000 shows.

Around 1900 Marathi shows witnessed an occupancy of 68%, while the 4200 Hindi shows saw an occupancy of around 16%.

Mumbai recorded the highest number of Marathi shows at around 600, with occupancy at approximately 73%. In comparison, the Hindi version saw a relatively lower turnout, with Delhi-NCR registering around 400 shows and an occupancy of about 13%.

RGV praises historical epic

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma praised Riteish Deshmukh’s historical drama, saying it is “creating mayhem in theatres.”

In a post on X, Varma said the film was “slashing and smashing” the box office and added that Riteish was creating “mayhem in theatres.”

Sharing his reaction, Varma wrote, “Hey @geneliad congrats on the way your #RajaShivaji is both slashing and smashing the box office. @Riteishd, both as director and actor, is creating mayhem in theatres and he literally looks #ShivajiMaharaj reincarnated (sic).”

About Raja Shivaji

The film features an ensemble cast led by Riteish in the title role, alongside Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Amole Gupte, and Genelia Deshmukh. The film has a runtime of 195 minutes.

Earlier, Riteish Deshmukh confirmed Salman Khan’s appearance in the film during the grand finale of Bigg Boss Marathi Season 6, where he appeared alongside Genelia Deshmukh and Abhishek Bachchan.

The film released in cinemas worldwide on May 1, 2026, in Marathi, Hindi, and Telugu.