As Ramayana: Part One enters its final week before the November 5 release, the overseas question keeps returning to one number: $13.19 million. That is what Animal collected in its opening weekend in 2023, and it remains the benchmark against which a new Ranbir Kapoor release is judged. The early signals are promising rather than conclusive: the Nitesh Tiwari-directed epic has crossed $2 million in reported worldwide advance sales, spanning Indian bookings and international previews.
For followers of Hindi cinema’s overseas economics, this is not just a fan rivalry between two Kapoor films; it is a test of whether the overseas market has expanded enough to lift a mythological epic past the high-water mark set by an adult drama.
The benchmark Animal set
Animal’s $13.19 million overseas opening weekend was, at its time, the fourth-highest for a Hindi film, ahead of Padmaavat’s $12 million and behind Pathaan, Jawan and Sultan. Its first day alone brought in about ₹39.90 crore from overseas markets, or roughly $4.8 million at the period’s exchange rate.
That performance did not just improve on Ranbir Kapoor’s previous bests; it reset them. His earlier overseas weekend peaks were:
- Animal: $13.19 million
- Brahmastra: about $8.25 million
- Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: $7.73 million
- Sanju: $7 million
Looked at another way, Animal lifted his personal opening weekend bar by roughly 60 percent. The Ramayana question is whether the market can support another rise on that scale.
Where the record will be decided
Territory splits are as important as the title itself. Animal’s North American opening came in about 40 percent higher than Brahmastra’s, and that market alone accounts for most of the difference between their overseas weekends. For Ramayana, North America and premium-screen demand are likely to settle the outcome.
The early preview figure is the number to follow. Ramayana has reported more than $550,000 in overseas previews so far, with 11 days still to go before release. That is encouraging, but it sits at roughly half of the $1 million-plus premiere total Animal eventually reached. International previews tend to build heavily in the final days of a campaign, so the gap is not yet a verdict.
Why the opening format matters
Ramayana is opening across an extended Thursday-to-Sunday window, preceded by Wednesday previews. That is not a like-for-like comparison with Animal’s three-day weekend. A bigger extended-weekend figure would not automatically mean stronger day-by-day demand, so the fairer read will come from the first weekend’s territory-wise collections.
After the opening, the tougher test is staying power. Matching Animal’s international lifetime performance would require theatres in key markets to hold the film beyond a strong first frame. With Sony Pictures handling overseas distribution and the Ramayana’s familiarity giving it wide family appeal, the building blocks are present. Whether they produce a record start and a long run should be clear once the opening weekend split is known.
Source: Sacnilk
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