Marathi cinema had a tough time in 2025, but in 2026, it is expected to set new records. Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam, which released on the first day of the year, collected around Rs. 25 crores. Raja Shivaji continues to remain strong, collecting Rs. 93.10 crores in 18 days and marching towards the Rs. 100 crore mark. And now, another film, Deool Band 2, is all set to surprise. The devotional cum drama film releases in cinemas tomorrow, that is, Thursday, May 21 and is set for a huge opening.

As per the data accessed by Bollywood Hungama, Deool Band 2 has sold more than 25,000 tickets. Despite the film releasing on a non-holiday Thursday, several shows in cities like Mumbai and Pune are already fast-filling. The latter, it seems, is ahead of Mumbai and is driving the collections. City Pride, which has 7 cinemas in Pune, has sold more tickets than PVR Inox. MovieMax opened bookings for Deool Band 2 around 12 noon on Wednesday and within 4 hours, it sold 400 tickets, which is quite a feat.

Deool Band 2 will have a strong weekend, if reports are in its favour. It now remains to be seen if post-midnight and early morning shows are organized by cinemas to cater to the demand on Saturday and Sunday.

Like Deool Band’s first part, Deool Band 2 also stars Mohan Joshi in the role of revered saint Swami Samartha. Deool Band appealed to millions of Swami Samartha’s devotees and moviegoers in general due to its premise, science vs spirituality angle, Mohan Joshi’s terrific portrayal and Pravin Tarde’s mass-appealing direction. Deool Band 2 is a spiritual sequel and besides Mohan Joshi, it stars Mahesh Manjrekar, Snehal Tarde, Pravin Tarde, Prasad Oak, Om Bhutkar and others.

Interestingly, the Deool Band series has a fascinating Drishyam connection. The first part was released on July 31, 2015 – the same day as the release of the Hindi remake, Drishyam. And now, Deool Band 2 releases on the same day as the release of Drishyam 3’s Malayalam version.

Drishyam 3 is also set for a record start. The other major release of the week is Chand Mera Dil, starring Lakshya and Ananya Panday. The film is expected to fetch a good start at the box office, thanks to the reduced-price offer. In short, it’ll be a healthy weekend for the industry and exhibitors.

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