Advance ticket sales for Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi, were scheduled to begin on Dussehra, October 20. By 9:30 am, however, almost no cinemas had opened bookings—and the reason is said to be a dispute over revenue-sharing terms rather than a technical delay.
What has stalled the counters
According to a trade source cited by Bollywood Hungama, the standard big-film split gives distributors 52.5 per cent in week one, 45 per cent in week two and 37.5 per cent in week three. For Ramayana, distributors are reportedly asking for a materially different structure: 60 per cent, 50 per cent and 40 per cent across the first three weeks.
- Week 1: 52.5% usual, 60% sought
- Week 2: 45% usual, 50% sought
- Week 3: 37.5% usual, 40% sought
Exhibitors have so far been reluctant to agree. A trade source said: “Unless both parties arrive at a mutually acceptable agreement, the advance booking could get delayed.” Negotiations remain open, and no settlement had been announced at the time of writing.
Why the dispute matters
Revenue-sharing terms shape how a film’s box office is divided as soon as tickets go on sale. Week one is the heaviest earning period for most event films, so a shift of 7.5 percentage points in that opening week is substantial. Distributors appear to be using the film’s anticipated demand to push for a larger slice; exhibitors, who carry the cost of running screens, are pushing back.
The early picture at cinemas is unusually narrow. As of 9:30 am, INOX Korum Mall in Thane was the only Mumbai Metropolitan Region theatre to have opened bookings, with AMB Cinemas Kapali in Bengaluru the other prominent multiplex that had started.
What to watch next
Ramayana is scheduled to release worldwide on November 5. Every day of the Dussehra window therefore carries weight: it is a chance to convert visibility into booked seats, and a delayed start compresses that runway. For audiences, the practical takeaway is straightforward—tickets should become widely available only once the commercial terms are settled.
The negotiations are a reminder that a big release is not only a creative event but also a distribution negotiation. The festival date, the scale of the film and the strength of its advance interest all feed into leverage at the table.
Source: Bollywood Hungama
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