Marathi cinema faced challenges in 2025, but the future looks bright for 2026. The film Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam made a strong start by earning around ₹25 crores on its opening day. Meanwhile, Raja Shivaji has continued to perform well, grossing ₹93.10 crores in just 18 days, and is nearing the ₹100 crore milestone.
Now, excitement is building for the upcoming release of Deool Band 2, which is set to hit theaters this Thursday, May 21. This film is anticipated to have a significant opening.
Reports indicate that Deool Band 2 has already sold over 25,000 tickets, even though it premieres on a non-holiday Thursday. In cities like Mumbai and Pune, many shows are rapidly filling up, with Pune currently leading in ticket sales. Notably, City Pride, which operates seven cinemas in Pune, has surpassed PVR Inox in ticket sales. In a remarkable move, MovieMax began ticket sales around noon on Wednesday and sold 400 tickets within just four hours.
If early reports suggest continued interest, Deool Band 2 could enjoy a strong weekend. It’s also expected that cinemas may add additional late-night and early morning shows to meet the demand.
Similar to the first film, Deool Band, the sequel will feature Mohan Joshi, who reprises his role as the beloved saint Swami Samartha. The first film resonated with many of Swami Samartha’s followers, blending themes of science and spirituality, and showcased Mohan Joshi’s remarkable performance under Pravin Tarde’s engaging direction. Besides Joshi, the cast includes Mahesh Manjrekar, Snehal Tarde, Pravin Tarde, Prasad Oak, and Om Bhutkar.
Interestingly, Deool Band has a unique connection to the Drishyam franchise. The first film was released on the same day as the Hindi remake of Drishyam on July 31, 2015. Now, Deool Band 2 is set to debut on the same day as the Malayalam version of Drishyam 3.
Drishyam 3 is also expected to make a splash at the box office. Another notable release this week is Chand Mera Dil, featuring Lakshya and Ananya Panday, which is anticipated to perform well, aided by a ticket price discount.
In summary, this weekend looks promising for the Marathi film industry, with multiple exciting releases lined up.
