Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, May 25: Deool Band 2 has emerged as a major box office success, continuing the strong run of Marathi cinema in 2026 and becoming the second-biggest Marathi opener after Raja Shivaji.

Directed by Pravin Tarde, the devotional drama earned an estimated Rs 15.75 crore net in India and around Rs 18.59 crore India gross during its four-day opening weekend, according to trade reports.

The film opened on Thursday with collections of Rs 2.45 crore from 1,175 shows and recorded an occupancy of around 41 per cent. Collections remained steady on Friday at Rs 2.55 crore before witnessing a major jump over the weekend.

On Saturday, the film nearly doubled its earnings to Rs 4.85 crore as occupancy increased to 58 per cent. Sunday turned out to be the biggest day for the film, with collections touching Rs 5.90 crore net and occupancy rising to 65 per cent across 1,750 shows.

While Raja Shivaji had a much larger release and collected Rs 11.35 crore on its opening day from over 6,000 shows, Deool Band 2 registered stronger occupancy levels during its opening weekend. Raja Shivaji had recorded 36.4 per cent occupancy on its first Sunday, whereas Deool Band 2 touched 65 per cent by Day 4.

The film has reportedly performed exceptionally well in major Maharashtra cities. Pune witnessed nearly 80 per cent occupancy on Sunday across 366 shows, while Mumbai recorded around 72 per cent occupancy from 540 shows.

Trade analysts noted that morning shows in Pune opened above 73 per cent occupancy and climbed to nearly 87 per cent during evening screenings, reflecting strong audience response throughout the day.

National multiplex chains including PVR INOX and Cinepolis also reported a sharp rise in ticket sales. Around 6,000 tickets were sold on Friday, which increased to 23,200 on Saturday and nearly 38,000 on Sunday.

The film had crossed 25,000 advance bookings on BookMyShow before release, with demand continuing to remain strong after the opening weekend.

Meanwhile, Raja Shivaji, directed by and starring Riteish Deshmukh, continues its successful theatrical run. The historical drama has collected around Rs 101.40 crore net in India by Day 24 and crossed Rs 114.8 crore in worldwide gross collections.

The Marathi version of Raja Shivaji has reportedly continued to outperform the Hindi version, especially in cities such as Pune, Mumbai and Nashik.

With Raja Shivaji already emerging as a blockbuster and Deool Band 2 sustaining strong momentum, 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for Marathi cinema.