Advance ticket sales for Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana are giving exhibitors a reason to rethink the pre-Diwali release window. With the first part opening on 5 November, the film has moved past four lakh tickets on the PVR INOX circuit before its premiere — a number usually reserved for safer corridors.
The demand is spread, not front-loaded
PVR INOX’s chief business planning and strategy, Kamal Gianchandani, called the response “truly exceptional” and said the circuit expects to touch one million tickets by Wednesday night. The advance is not confined to opening day; the tickets cover the extended Thursday-to-Monday frame, which is why the trade is reading it as a sign of staying power.
Devang Sampat of Cinépolis India linked the film’s family appeal across generations to the chain’s own 500-screen milestone, while BookMyShow noted traction for dubbed versions and premium formats such as IMAX and 3D. Ashish Saksena of BookMyShow said the sustained momentum matters because the pre-Diwali period has usually been subdued, and the dubbed-language interest suggests the film is travelling beyond Hindi-language strongholds.
Why the pre-Diwali window usually hesitates
Hindi distributors have historically treated the days just before Diwali as a low-priority corridor. Audiences are busy with shopping, socialising and festive obligations, and footfalls tend to be thin until after the holiday. Ramayana is an attempt to change that with an event-scale title.
Single-screen exhibitor Akshaye Rathi offered a specific number: he believes the film can cross ₹60 crore nett in Hindi, and possibly ₹100 crore gross across all languages, on day one nationally.
- 4 lakh tickets already sold at PVR INOX; 1 million projected by Wednesday night.
- ₹60 crore nett Hindi day-one estimate, with ₹100 crore gross possible across languages.
- Five-language release: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam; IMAX and 3D formats.
- Part 1 on 5 November 2026; Part 2 set for Diwali 2028.
The real test comes after opening
Rathi also pointed to 9 November as the more decisive point: if the film is liked, the post-Diwali period usually brings a surge in theatrical footfalls. That is when the pre-Diwali record would become part of a longer run, not just a single-day story.
Ramayana is produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in association with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations. Sony Pictures handles distribution outside India; Dharma Productions is distributing the Hindi-speaking market.
Source: PINKVILLA
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