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All eyes are set on Nitesh Tiwari and Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash! Let’s quickly look at the figures here… The two-part epic adaptation is built
on an estimated budget of Rs 4000 crore. The first part is set to release across 59000 screens worldwide across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English languages.
With so much riding on Ramayana, the pressure on the film is immense. The makers had mounted an unprecedented global promotional campaign. Beyond its box-office prospects, it carries the responsibility of bringing one of India’s most revered epics to a global audience while meeting the expectations of generations familiar with the story.
Despite the scale of the ambition, Ramayana faced considerable negativity even before its theatrical release. The first glimpse and subsequent trailer drew criticism over the visual effects, with Ranbir and Sai’s casting triggering debates. More recently, early reactions following its premiere in Los Angeles have been divided over the screenplay, pacing, VFX and background score.
We exclusively speak to trade gurus and analysts, who weigh in on their thoughts on whether Ramayana can break records or crumble under its own lofty ambitions.
Will Ramayana Roar Its Way Into 100Cr Club On Day 1?
The presale figures has surpassed Rs 50 crore gross across India. Maharashtra leads state-wise pre-sales, followed by Delhi and Karnataka. But many believe that the hype isn’t necessarity converting to advance bookings in the way it should. As of November 2, Ramayana lagged significantly behind Yash’s last release Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups in pre-sales.
Chennai-based trade analyst Ramesh Bala predicts a solid opening with Karnataka contributing a big chunk. “I expect Ramayana to mint around Rs 100-150 crore on day one in India (largely contributed by current bookings). North India will contribute a large percentage of its box office collections with Karnataka following second,” he says.
Exhibitor Akkshay Rathie believes Ramayana ‘can create history’. “Yash’s stardom will push Karnataka to fire in a big way. With the ticket rates and the anticipation that’s there at ground level, it has the potential to go beyond Rs 100 crores on day one. It has the intrinsic potential and value to become the highest-grossing Indian film of all time,” he tells us.
Veteran trade expert Taran Adarsh has already experienced this magnum opus on the big screen. In his words, it’ll emerge as the ‘highest pre-Diwali opener of all time’. “Sky is the limit. There’s no stopping this film. It has grandeur and soul. I’m very confident Ramayana will do well. It will shatter all records. More screens are being added as we speak,” he remarks.
Film business expert Girish Johar, however, shares a different perspective. “It may have a slow start like Dhurandhar. Its business will peak only post-Diwali. As per initial industry reports, the film’s outstanding. But what makes me a little flummoxed is, why they’re releasing the film on a Thursday. It’s not a holiday either in India or overseas. I’m predicting Rs 50 crore in India,” he opines.
LA’s Mixed Verdict To Dent Ramayana’s Home Run?
Adarsh doesn’t believe so. “They’ve watched the English version. It’s 35-40 minutes lesser than the Indian version. That’s a very different audience anyway,” he asserts. Johar agrees with Adarsh, reiterating that what the Ramayana means to us is vastly different from what it means to those in the West.
“They’re probably watching another Lord Of The Rings. But we’ll be watching divinity, mythology and the ethos we’ve been brought up on while watching it,” he remarks. But Bala feels that the reviews coming from the West will ‘certainly’ have an impact on its domestic box office collections. “Negative stories gets amplified on social media faster than positive ones,” he states.
“I hope we’re able to watch it with an open mind. But the LA premiere hasn’t been able to give any push to Ramayana. People in India haven’t rushed to book their tickets yet. I’m staying optimistic but cautiously. But since Yash’s performance is being praised, I hope it translates to footfalls in Karnataka,” he further adds.
Can Ranbir Dethrone Ranveer?
Dhurandhar: The Revenge starring Ranveer Singh grossed over Rs 1800 crore worldwide and emered as the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2026. It went on to set several other new records. On its day one, its India nett stood at Rs 102.55 crore across all languages, according to Sacnilk. So, can Ramayana surpass Dhurandhar: The Revenge and create history?
For the unversed, the combined production budget of Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge was around Rs 250 crore against Ramayana’s Rs 4000 crore budget. For Bala, beating the Aditya Dhar directorial won’t be an easy feat. “I hope Ramayana outdoes Dhurandhar: The Revenge to recover its budget but it won’t be easy,” he points out.
He adds, “Dhurandhar has set a very high benchmark in the Hindi-speaking markets. For that to happen, Ramayana has to perform well in the overseas market too. The former ran house-full for four weeks. It had a repeat value too. We’ll have to wait and watch if Ramayana has a repeat value.” But Rathie’s confident that the Ranbir-starrer will emerge victorious out of the two.
“In terms of the nett revenues, it has the potential to go beyond Dhurandhar. It has the ability to capture the imagination of the people at large in a manner that no other Indian film has been able to till date. Namit Malhotra is the interior designer of Ramayana but the architect is still Nitesh Tiwari. In terms of the elements in the mix, it has the potential to go beyond Dhurandhar 2,” he explains.
The South Snag
Bala explains that unlike ‘Yash’s homeground’ Karnataka where Ramayana is set to fly solo, it’ll face significant competition in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. “Karnataka leads the buzz. The advance booking has begun for the premium format (IMAX) and some 2D formats. The presales in Karnataka stands at Rs 3 crore (as of Monday). It will lead collections in the south belt,” he says.
“In Chennai, I see advance bookings in IMAX doing well. In Tamil Nadu, Suriya’s Scene and Nayanthara’s Mookuthi Amman 2 will give competition to Ramayana. In Kerala, it will be a two-way race between Ramayana and Scene. In Karnataka, however, Ramayana will have an advantage because of Yash. In the Telugu-speaking states, Venkatesh’s Aadardha Kutumbam’s doing well,” he adds.
He points out that the advance booking for Ramayana in south is ‘nothing like a Rajinikanth or an Allu Arjun film’. “In north India, Hindutva films tend to do well. But in south, content overpowers sentiments and fervour. I think Ramayana will pick up on the weekend if word-of-mouth is positive. Needless to say, it’ll fare better in north because of the Ayodhya sentiment.”
