What is the story about?
Ramayana Vs Adipurush: Nitesh Tiwari's much-awaited Ramayana: Part 1, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, finally
arrived in theatres on November 5, 2026. Given the scale of the production, the popularity of its star cast and the religious and cultural significance of the epic, the film was expected to make a massive impact at the box office. However, there was another mythological big-screen adaptation that had set a formidable benchmark for opening-day collections three years earlier – Om Raut's Adipurush, featuring Prabhas as Lord Ram, Kriti Sanon as Sita and Saif Ali Khan as Ravana. With both films drawing from the Ramayana, their opening-day box-office performances make for an interesting comparison. While Ranbir Kapoor's film generated considerable anticipation, did it manage to surpass the opening-day numbers of Prabhas' Adipurush? The numbers suggest that Prabhas had the advantage.
Ramayana Vs Adipurush: Opening-Day Box Office Collection
According to Sacnilk's box-office tracking figures, Ramayana: Part 1 collected approximately Rs 64.85 crore net at the Indian box office on its opening day. Its India gross collection stood at Rs 77.50 crore, with the film playing across approximately 25,200 shows in multiple languages. In comparison, Adipurush registered an India net collection of Rs 86.75 crore on June 16, 2023. Its domestic gross collection stood at Rs 103.08 crore, while its worldwide opening-day gross was estimated at Rs 128.08 crore, including Rs 25 crore from overseas markets. Prabhas' film earned approximately Rs 21.90 crore more than Ranbir Kapoor's film in India net collections.
The difference becomes particularly interesting when one considers the number of shows. Ramayana had a significantly wider screening footprint, with approximately 25,200 shows compared with Adipurush's 16,452. Yet, the Prabhas-starrer managed to generate a higher opening-day collection. This indicates that Adipurush enjoyed a particularly strong initial audience pull, especially in the Telugu-speaking markets.
Prabhas' Telugu Market Advantage Vs Ranbir's Hindi Dominance
One of the biggest factors behind the difference in their opening-day performances was the regional contribution to their respective collections. Adipurush witnessed an extraordinary response in the Telugu market, where it collected approximately Rs 48 crore net on its opening day. The Hindi version contributed another Rs 37.25 crore, while Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam together added approximately Rs 1.50 crore.
In contrast, Ramayana was led by its Hindi version, which contributed Rs 47.50 crore to its opening-day collection. The Kannada version brought in Rs 7.25 crore, while the Telugu version earned Rs 6 crore. Tamil and Malayalam contributed Rs 2.60 crore and Rs 1.50 crore, respectively
Interestingly, Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana actually outperformed Adipurush in the Hindi market by approximately Rs 10.25 crore. This is a significant achievement, considering that Prabhas is an established pan-India superstar with a massive following across several territories.
Adipurush's Official Worldwide Opening-Day Announcement
There is another important distinction when comparing the two films: the worldwide opening-day announcements. Following Adipurush's release, its production house, T-Series, announced that the film had collected Rs 140 crore worldwide on its opening day. The announcement was made on June 17, 2023, and was widely reported at the time. However, Sacnilk's subsequent tracking figures put its worldwide opening-day gross at Rs 128.08 crore. This difference highlights why producer-reported figures and independent trade-tracking estimates should not be treated as interchangeable.
For Ramayana, the currently available Sacnilk figures put its opening-day India gross at Rs 77.50 crore. A final, comparable worldwide collection has not yet been established. Therefore, declaring a worldwide winner using these different reporting methods would be premature.
Verdict: Prabhas Beats Ranbir Kapoor On Opening Day
Based on comparable domestic box-office estimates, Adipurush comfortably beat Ramayana in the opening-day race. Prabhas' film collected Rs 86.75 crore net, compared with Ranbir Kapoor's Rs 64.85 crore, giving it an advantage of nearly Rs 22 crore. However, Ranbir's film has achieved something noteworthy in the Hindi market, where it outperformed Adipurush by a considerable margin.
There is also an important difference in how audiences received the two films. Adipurush generated tremendous initial box-office enthusiasm despite facing criticism over its visual effects, dialogues and adaptation of the epic. Ramayana, meanwhile, arrived with enormous expectations surrounding its production scale, visual effects and international ambitions. Ultimately, the opening-day verdict belongs to Prabhas. But whether Ramayana can sustain its momentum over the extended theatrical run and emerge as a bigger commercial success is a different question altogether.
