Hindi cinema has a new first to record. Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Rise of a Legend opened at number one in the UK and Ireland with an estimated £2.1 million, or about $2.8 million, becoming the first Indian film to do so.
A first built on near misses
Four earlier Indian releases had stalled at second place in the territory. This debut converted a close call into a chart-topping result, and it did so while competing with two studio and franchise titles. The margin was thin: only about £300,000 separated the top three pictures.
Figures are early estimates, and final numbers can shift once cinemas report in full. But the milestone itself is clear.
How the top of the chart looked
- Ramayana: Rise of a Legend — £2.1 million
- Wild Horse Nine — £1.9 million
- Godzilla Minus Zero — £1.8 million
Disney placed Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine in 655 cinemas, the widest new release of the weekend, but it still finished second. Godzilla Minus Zero, released independently through Anime Limited, more than doubled the UK-Ireland opening of its predecessor.
Cast, word of mouth and the record ahead
Ranbir Kapoor leads as Lord Rama, with Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. The cast mixes Bollywood star power with a major name from southern Indian cinema, widening the film’s pull, and early reviews have given it the kind of word of mouth that determines whether an opening lasts.
The next marker is the all-time Indian film total in the UK and Ireland. That belongs to Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which finished with £4.5 million, or about ₹56.68 crore. After one weekend, Ramayana is already nearly halfway there.
Why it matters beyond the chart
The same weekend underlined the audience for subtitled spectacle. Godzilla Minus Zero led the world with an estimated $63 million and set a North American record for a foreign-language opening with $31.6 million. For Hindi cinema, the UK-Ireland result is a narrower but tangible sign that a well-cast epic can compete as a mainstream release rather than a niche event.
What to watch now is holdover business. Strong word of mouth can push Ramayana toward the £4.5 million lifetime record; a steep drop would leave the debut as a historic moment rather than a record total.
Source: The Statesman
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