Ramayana Part 1 is not opening like a conventional blockbuster. By 10 am on Thursday, the Nitesh Tiwari-directed film, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, had collected ₹12.69 crore net in early ticket sales from 6,796 shows across India, according to Sacnilk. Gross collections at that point stood at ₹14.97 crore.
The project comes with unusually high stakes. Mint reports that it is backed by a ₹4,000 crore budget, with music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer, visual effects by DNEG, and producers Namit Malhotra and Yash. It has released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, including IMAX, with the second part scheduled for 2028.
The demand was priced in before release
Before the first show, demand was already visible. As of 10 pm on November 4, Ramayana had grossed ₹115.78 crore from advance bookings across India, including ₹93.79 crore without blocked seats. Industry figures put 31.70 lakh tickets sold across 96,165 domestic shows in 1,029 cities; excluding blocked seats, the count was 25.81 lakh tickets.
A further ₹19.35 crore in advance gross was added after the 6 am cut-off, pushing the aggregate past ₹100 crore. The opening day is the largest contributor within that advance pile:
- Day one: ₹45.81 crore gross from 12.60 lakh tickets across 25,886 shows, including block seats.
- Day one without block seats: ₹39.61 crore from 10.90 lakh tickets.
- Extended weekend: Saturday ₹22.06 crore, Friday ₹20.91 crore, Sunday ₹14.93 crore and Monday ₹12.08 crore.
That distribution gives planners an early read: intent is not confined to a single day. Trade estimates expect a ₹75-100 crore opening day across languages, while lifetime projections range from ₹1,000 crore to ₹3,000 crore depending on audience response. The wide lifetime band is the real caution: pre-release heat establishes a floor, but it does not prove longevity.
Faith-led cinema changes the box office playbook
Bihar-based exhibitor Vishek Chauhan told PTI that the film should not be judged by normal trade standards. “This is about religion; it is faith-based cinema… It is a review- and critic-proof film,” he said. That changes the marketing problem. For a faith-led title, community sentiment, group watch behaviour and repeat viewing can matter more than critical consensus.
What to watch next
For media buyers and exhibition teams, the opening day number should not be read as the day. The better early indicators are the Saturday and Sunday hold from Friday, the share of walk-ins beyond pre-sold tickets, and how the southern-language versions perform outside the Hindi belt. Actuals will revise quickly as shows report through the morning and afternoon.
Ramayana Part 1 currently sits on a strong advance base. The real test is whether the film converts cultural attention into a multi-week run, and the 2028 sequel is already the long tail for a franchise narrative.
Source: Mint
