Indian cinema has waited nearly three decades for this particular chart position. Ramayana: Rise of a Legend has opened at No. 1 on the official UK and Ireland box office chart, taking £2.1 million including previews. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi, it is the first Indian film to hold the top weekend spot, ahead of Disney’s Wild Horse Nine at £1.48 million and Godzilla Minus Zero at £1.3 million.
A 28-year road to the top
The climb began before Indian films were reliably reported in the mainstream chart. Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge earned substantial revenue outside official box office tracking, but the real breakthrough came in 1998 when Shah Rukh Khan’s Dil Se.. reached No. 8. Two months later, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai entered the top 10 and eventually collected £1.7 million.
- 1998: Dil Se.. becomes the first major top-10 breakthrough at No. 8.
- 2001: Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… opens at No. 3, taking £473,255 in its first week from 41 screens and finishing near £2.5 million.
- 2010: My Name Is Khan opens at No. 6 with £936,000 and collects £2.6 million.
- 2022: RRR opens at No. 2 with £650,204 from 160 locations, behind The Batman.
- 2023: Pathaan and Jawan both open at No. 2; Pathaan finishes near £4.38 million.
- March 2026: Dhurandhar: The Revenge becomes the territory’s highest-grossing Indian film with more than £4.4 million.
Why this opening is different
Ramayana’s first-place finish was built on more than demand. The film played across 364 sites, with premium 3D and large-format screenings widening its reach. That footprint moved an Indian title into direct competition with Hollywood’s weekend slate and gave the chart a single, unified number to report.
Language-version splitting, a long-running issue for South Asian multilingual releases, has previously diluted chart positions. Ramayana shows how much the exhibition and distribution infrastructure has changed.
The harder test: holding on
A chart-topping weekend is only one measure. Dhurandhar: The Revenge remains the highest-grossing Indian release in the territory with just over £4.4 million. Hollywood’s larger titles still run far longer: Project Hail Mary crossed £15 million in two weekends, while Avatar: The Way of Water had passed £70 million by its seventh week.
The next milestone for Indian cinema is not another No. 1 opening but a long theatrical hold. For distributors, the playbook is now clear: book wide, programme premium formats, and treat hold-week marketing as seriously as the opening itself.
Source: EasternEye
Comments