Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana: Part One has moved into the final stretch of its North American advance-booking race, crossing 51,000 tickets for the November 4 paid previews. The tally takes the mythological epic past estimated US premiere-ticket benchmarks set by Baahubali 2 and Kalki 2898 AD, leaving Dhurandhar 2 as the only major Indian blockbuster comparison still standing.
The pace has quickened sharply. Three days earlier, Sacnilk’s tracking placed Ramayana at roughly 37,000 tickets, around RRR’s estimated level. A near 40% jump has since carried it past two more reference points, and the gap to Dhurandhar 2 is now under 1,000 tickets.
Eight benchmarks, one left
The comparison draws meaning from the different phases of Indian cinema’s overseas growth. Animal, Jawan, Pushpa 2, Pathaan and RRR shape the modern advance-sales landscape; Baahubali 2 and Kalki 2898 AD stand for strong Telugu-frontier performance; and Dhurandhar 2 represents the top end of a Hindi blockbuster’s extended North American opening, reported at about $14 million with roughly $10 million of that over the Friday-to-Sunday weekend.
Clearing the ticket benchmark would not automatically match that gross. Ticket counts are rough historical substitutes, not an exact revenue conversion.
Preview night is doing the heavy lifting
Distribution matters more than the headline tally:
- More than 1.40 lakh tickets are booked across the November 4–8 US opening period.
- Around 37% of those are for preview night.
- Preview night and Thursday combined currently hold slightly more tickets than the entire Friday-to-Sunday stretch.
That concentration cuts both ways. Premium preview screenings will produce a strong opening-night gross, but a record extended opening depends on demand spreading into the weekend.
What to watch next
Current bookings point toward a possible five-day North American opening in the $13 million to $14 million range, which would put Ramayana remarkably close to Dhurandhar 2‘s reported start. That is an indicative projection based on early sales and historical conversion patterns, not a confirmed result.
For Hindi cinema followers, the next 48 hours are the real test: whether Ramayana can keep adding tickets beyond the premiere-night audience. If weekday sales stay concentrated on November 4, the final benchmark may be crossed on paper while the gross record remains just out of reach.
Source: Sacnilk
Comments