Ramayana by Nitesh Tiwari is expected to rewrite history in Indian cinema even before its theatrical release. Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash are starring
in the mythological epic, which is reportedly gearing up for the biggest-ever worldwide release planned for an Indian film, indicating the makers' ambition to make it a truly global cinematic event. Ramayana, produced by Namit Malhotra, will be a two-part saga. The worldwide launch of the first instalment will be in the Diwali holiday season on November 6, 2026, and the second part is expected to be released during Diwali 2027. According to an ETimes report, Ramayana will be released on more than 50,000 screens worldwide, and Sony Pictures will release the project overseas. Industry reports also cited that with an estimated 9,000 screens release across India, the total worldwide rollout could be over 59,000 screens, making it one of the biggest theatrical launches ever attempted by an Indian production.
Biggest overseas release for an Indian film
Indian blockbusters have been growing their global footprint over the years, but Ramayana seems poised to take that approach to a whole new level. The reported 50,000-screen international rollout is far ahead of the overseas footprint of previous Indian hits and reflects growing confidence in the film's appeal to audiences beyond the traditional Indian diaspora markets.
Sony Pictures' participation has helped improve the film's worldwide distribution plans. The Hollywood studio's extensive overseas network means the film will likely receive one of the widest releases for an Indian title ever.
Beating recent Indian blockbusters
If the reported release strategy does happen, Ramayana will easily overshadow the worldwide releases of recent Indian blockbusters. The films Pushpa 2: The Rule and RRR had massive international openings, setting new benchmarks for Indian cinema overseas. But they were still reportedly far behind Ramayana's current targeted global screen counts. The unprecedented release underscores the sheer scale on which producer Namit Malhotra and his team are mounting the two-part adaptation of the ancient Indian epic.
Comparisons to Hollywood spectacles
Ramayana's scheduled release has obviously drawn comparisons to some of the biggest theatrical events in Hollywood. James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water reportedly opened on some 52,000 screens worldwide, industry observers say. If Ramayana does open on more than 59,000 screens worldwide, it would even beat that benchmark for theatrical footprint.
Whether such a wide release will translate into record-breaking box office collections remains to be seen, but expectations are already running high ahead of the film's arrival.
Technology for global audiences
The makers are also leaning heavily on technology to boost the movie's international reach. Earlier this week, the team released an English-language trailer that features lip-synced dialogue with the original lead cast performances. The localisation is said to feature Brahma AI, an AI-powered technology developed by DNEG that enables characters to speak different languages naturally without traditional dubbing.
The production team said the movie will be released in about 50 languages, which will make it more accessible to people across the globe.
