The Indian box office has turned into a battlefield this Thursday, March 19, 2026, as two of biggest films vie for the top spot. Aditya Dhar helmed and Ranveer Singh starrer espionage thriller, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, has stormed the ticket windows following a record-breaking Rs. 50 crore paid preview session, targeting a historic Rs. 100 crore opening day. On the other hand, Pawan Kalyan starrer ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ is underlining the Power Star’s unparalleled local dominance. While both films are capitalizing on the Ugadi and Gudi Padwa festivities, ‘Dhurandhar 2’ leads in multiplex and global advance bookings while ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ is expected to put up a massive fight in its home turf, making this one of the most high-stakes box office face-offs in recent times.
‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’
The Aditya Dhar directed sequel is showing why it’s the most anticipated spy thriller of the decade. According to Sacnilk, the first ‘Dhurandhar’ that released on December 5, 2025 grossed Rs. 1007. 50 in India.
The film raked in nearly Rs. 43 crore on Wednesday evening alone, according to Sacnilk. For day 1, trade analysts predict a Rs. 100 crore plus worldwide gross on opening day, fueled by its massive 8,000 plus screen release.
According to Sacnilk, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ is maintaining an aggressive theatrical presence with 8,928 shows currently running. The film has already raked in a live net collection of Rs. 17.07 Cr today, which, when added to its historic paid preview earnings, brings its cumulative domestic net to Rs. 60.07 crore. The total gross collection stands at Rs. 51.60 crore (excluding previews), with industry trackers expecting these figures to surge significantly as evening show reports come in.
The day 1 collection coupled with the paid previews of ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ by night stands at Rs. 139.78 crore.
‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge day wise collection
Day 0 Rs. 43 crore
Day 1 Rs. 96.78 crore
Language-wise Breakdown (Day 1)
Hindi Rs. 96. 78 crore
Kannada Rs. 0.07 crore
Malayalam 0.08 crore
Tamil 0.95 crore
Telugu 1.89 crore
TOTAL Rs. 139.78 crore
‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’
Director Harish Shankar’s reunion with Pawan Kalyan is reaping the benefits of the festive window as well. Despite the ‘Dhurandhar 2’ wave in multiplexes, the Power Star remains the undisputed king of the masses. The film is seeing over a 90% occupancy in single screens across Nizam and Andhra territories. According to Sacnilk and an NDTV Profit report, the theatrical rights were locked at a staggering Rs. 106 crore for the Telugu states alone. The real test now lies in the walk-in crowds during the Ugadi holiday, which are expected to push the Day 1 total toward the Rs. 80–85 crore mark, according to trade experts.
According to Sacnilk, ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ is screening across 2,064 shows nationwide. The official box office collection data is currently being tabulated as reports from various territories continue to pour in.
The day 1 collection for Ustaad Bhagat Singh by night stands at Rs. 25.45 crore.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh day wise collection
Day 1 Rs. 25. 45 crore
TOTAL Rs. 25.45 crore
More about ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ and ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’
‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, directed by Aditya Dhar, picks up exactly where the first film left off with the narrative playing across six intense chapters, shifting between the present-day chaos in Karachi and the tragic origin story of the protagonist played by Ranveer Singh. The cast features R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, Danish Pandor in pivotal roles.
‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ is a Telugu action-drama that reunites the Power Star Pawan Kalyan with director Harish Shankar, whose previous hit was the 2012 film ‘Gabbar Singh’. The plot follows the protagonist played by Pawan Kalyan who is a fearless and honest police officer with a unique approach to justice. The film also stars Sreeleela and Raashii Khanna as the romantic female leads and R. Parthiban as the antagonist.
