Ramayana is arriving as a box-office event with the weight of an entire financial year behind it. Trade estimates put its opening day at roughly ₹75-80 crore net across languages, or close to ₹100 crore gross, which would make the week one of the strongest Diwali frames the Hindi film industry has recorded.
Advance bookings and format demand
Exhibitors are already treating the film as an exception to the pre-Diwali slowdown. Kamal Gianchandani, chief business planning and strategy at PVR Inox, said the title has broken the industry’s usual pre-festival jinx and set record advance bookings for the chain; he expects it to rank “among the top three grossers of all time on day one.”
At Cinepolis India, head of commercialisation Ashish Misra said the chain had sold more than 100,000 tickets by Tuesday evening and would screen more than 1,200 shows on opening day. Premium formats are leading, and IMAX shows are nearly sold out for Thursday. BookMyShow’s Ashish Saksena pointed to the film’s wide accessibility: a story most Indian audiences already know, released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, with Yash strengthening Karnataka and Sai Pallavi adding pull in Telugu and Malayalam markets.
Why a strong Diwali matters
The optimism is not only about one title. Diwali has historically lifted collections by 30-40%, but several recent holiday releases fell short: Thamma took ₹123.60 crore last Diwali, War 2 ₹185.13 crore over Independence Day, and Sikandar ₹103.45 crore at Eid. This year’s festive titles, including Awarapan 2 and Border 2, are showing stronger traction, and cinemas are projecting a 10-15% year-on-year rise in domestic collections.
Misra said the year was already running about 17% ahead of last year by the end of September, with seven of the first nine months above ₹1,000 crore. “The festive week on its own does not guarantee anything,” he added. “The film has to deliver.”
The regional map
- Tamil Nadu and Kerala: Ramayana faces Suriya’s Scene, Nayanthara’s Mookuthi Amman 2 and Moonwalk, while Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 holds screens.
- Telugu states: Venkatesh’s Aadarsha Kutumbam House No: 47 – AK 47 is performing well, with smaller releases scheduled for 6 November.
- North and west India: the film has a largely open run, with Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab showing affinity for the subject.
The ₹4,000 crore question
The title’s production budget, pegged at ₹4,000 crore in trade estimates, has made the opening an industry-wide concern as much as a celebration. A record opening weekend, even if it arrives, may not settle the film’s larger test. Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, said the weekend “is going to be huge,” but because of the scale and budget the film eventually needs to make three or four times what any earlier film has earned. “The question is whether it will be that historic,” he said.
Beyond the title, Misra framed the week as the moment that decides where 2026 lands. A Diwali of this size, followed by December’s Avengers: Doomsday, Dune: Part Three, King and Jumanji, could take the year past ₹15,000 crore and make it the best Indian box office has ever had. The number he said the industry should watch is simpler: how many people this film brings into cinemas, including those who have not been in a while.
Source: Mint
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