Mumbai, April 29 - The Box Office battleground for May 1, 2026, is set. As the industry celebrates Maharashtra Day, two distinct films - the Marathi historical epic Raja Shivaji and the soulful romance Ek Din - are hitting the big screen amid mid expectations. But the big question is, can these new entrants topple the strong holdovers, in the form of Bhooth Bangla and Dhurandhar 2, currently dominating the charts?

Raja Shivaji: The Regional Powerhouse

Directed by and starring Riteish Deshmukh, Raja Shivaji is the most anticipated Marathi film in years. While the Marathi version is expected to see a historic opening, the Hindi dubbed version faces a different set of expectations. The advance booking for the film is good overall, but the Hindi version is seeing an underwhelming response.

The advance booking trend suggests Hindi opening of Raja Shivaji around 1.50-2 crores net, but the movie has the advantage of the genre and a story deeply personal to the people, especially in Maharashtra. Releasing on Maharashtra Day is another plus, which is expected to boost the walk-in footfalls.

However, despite having certain advantages, the original Marathi version is expected to dominate the footfalls, leaving not much room for the Hindi version. While the trade is expecting the Hindi opening in the range of 3-4 crore net, the trend suggests it might be somewhere between 2-3 crores net, depending on spot bookings.

Ek Din: Low Buzz, Word-of-Mouth Dependent

Backed by Aamir Khan's production house, Ek Din stars his son Junaid Khan alongside Sai Pallavi. Despite the reputation attached to it, the film has struggled to generate some sort of pre-release excitement. The makers tried to boost the buzz by opening the advance sales a month before the release date, but things haven't turned out as expected with low pre-sales.

As a result, Ek Din is expected to open in the 1 to 2 crore net range on Day 1. The romantic drama's niche appeal and limited awareness mean that its box office journey will heavily depend on audience word of mouth rather than an initial surge.

Bhooth Bangla To Remain Top Choice?

Superstar Akshay Kumar-fronted horror comedy Bhooth Bangla has been performing very well since its release on April 17, and is expected to remain the top choice in Hindi this Friday, unless the new releases really surprise on the release day. There is Dhurandhar 2 also, which, even though it is slowing down, is expected to retain some screens and collect on low levels.