Dhurandhar 2 vs Ustaad Bhagat Singh Box Office Collection Day 1: Ranveer Singh’s Film Dominates, Leaves Pawan Kalyan Far Behind

Cinemas across India saw a massive showdown this Thursday, March 19, 2026, as two of the year's most anticipated films went head-to-head. Both releases are battling hard for the top spot, pulling in huge audiences, making the most of the Ugadi and Gudi Padwa bank holiday.

Aditya Dhar’s espionage thriller, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, starring Ranveer Singh, has taken the ticket windows by storm. The action-packed sequel aims for a historic opening after a record-shattering paid preview session. On the other side of the ring, Pawan Kalyan’s ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ proves the Power Star’s unrivalled dominance in his home territory.

While ‘Dhurandhar 2’ leads the pack in multiplexes and global advance bookings, ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ puts up a massive fight locally, creating one of the most high-stakes box office face-offs we have seen in recent times.

Dhurandhar 2 Box Office Collection Day 1 and Preview Collection

Ranveer Singh’s spy thriller is putting up monstrous numbers right out of the gate. As per a Sacnilk report, ‘Dhurandhar 2’ pulled in a massive ₹43.00 crore net during its paid previews, running across 12,292 shows with a 46.7% occupancy rate. 

The momentum carried straight into Day 1, with live tracking indicating the film has collected ₹36.00 crore net today, playing across 8,928 shows. This impressive run brings the film's total net collection to a staggering ₹79.00 crore so far, alongside a live daily gross of ₹51.60 crore.

Breaking down the Day 1 earnings by language, the Hindi 2D version easily did the heavy lifting. It raked in ₹34.16 crore net across 8,086 shows, logging a solid 42.85% seat occupancy. The regional dubs also did their bit to boost the total. The Telugu release earned ₹1.17 crore from 324 shows with a strong 43.0% occupancy, whilst the Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam versions added ₹0.59 crore, ₹0.05 crore, and ₹0.03 crore respectively.

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Ustaad Bhagat Singh Box Office Collection Day 1

While Ranveer Singh dominates the national market, Pawan Kalyan is ruling the Telugu states. As per a Sacnilk report, ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ is currently running across 2,064 shows and has collected ₹13.48 crore on Day 1.

Because the film caters primarily to a regional audience, all collections stem from the Telugu 2D version. However, what the film lacks in show count. The movie boasts an impressive overall Day 1 occupancy of 60.69%.

Dhurandhar 2 vs Ustaad Bhagat Singh Box Office Collection Day 1

‘Dhurandhar 2’ clearly takes the crown in terms of sheer volume and national reach. With a massive ₹79.00 crore total net already in the bank, Ranveer Singh's film leaves Pawan Kalyan's latest venture far behind in the all-India race.

However, a closer look at the data reveals a more nuanced picture. ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ manages a much higher theatre occupancy rate (nearly 61%) compared to ‘Dhurandhar 2’'s Day 1 Hindi occupancy (around 43%).

This indicates that while Aditya Dhar's film benefits from a wider, pan-India release and thousands of extra screens, Pawan Kalyan's action-comedy is packing out the cinemas where it actually plays. Both films are successfully serving their target demographics, setting the stage for a highly lucrative weekend at the movies.

ALSO READ- Ustaad Bhagat Singh Twitter Review: Netizens Slam Pawan Kalyan, Sreeleela’s Film as ‘Outdated Commercial Entertainer’

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Image Courtesy: IMDb and X (Twitter)