Nitesh Tiwari’s much-awaited film Ramayana: Part One, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash, has recorded an impressive response at the box office even before its theatrical release. With two days remaining before its arrival in cinemas on November 5, the film has crossed Rs 100 crore in worldwide advance bookings, taking its total advance gross collection to approximately Rs 105 crore.
The film has witnessed strong demand in India as well as overseas markets. However, its advance booking journey initially faced a slow phase before gaining momentum following the resolution of distribution-related issues and the addition of more cinema screens.
Ramayana Advance Booking Collection: India and Worldwide Figures
Ramayana: Part One had collected approximately Rs 105 crore in worldwide advance bookings as of Tuesday morning. The Indian market contributed around Rs 58 crore to the total, including nearly Rs 27 crore from opening-day ticket sales.
Bookings for the second and third days generated another Rs 25 crore, while advance reservations for Sunday shows had only just started opening.
The film has also sold close to 15 lakh tickets across India. Premium screening formats, particularly IMAX, account for nearly 25 per cent of the advance sales despite representing only 4 per cent of the total available screens, as reported by Sacni.
Why Did Ramayana’s Advance Bookings Initially Remain Slow?
Advance ticket sales for the film began on Dussehra, approximately two weeks before its theatrical release. Although the initial response was encouraging, bookings slowed down over the following days.
The main reason was a disagreement between distributors and exhibitors over revenue-sharing arrangements. For nearly 10 days, advance bookings were largely limited to the Hindi version, while several single-screen theatres and smaller cinema centres had not opened their shows.
The situation improved last Friday after the discussions reached a resolution. Several additional screens were subsequently made available over the weekend.
By Tuesday morning, the film had secured more than 5,000 screens, with over 1,500 screens being added within the preceding 24 hours. This expansion contributed to the significant improvement in its advance booking figures.
Ramayana Overseas Advance Booking Performance
The film has also received a positive response from international audiences. Its overseas advance booking collection has reached approximately $5 million.
Of this amount, more than $1.5 million has come from paid preview screenings in the United States alone. North American audiences will get an opportunity to watch the film through paid previews on November 4, one day before its scheduled release.
Advance booking collections increased by 27 per cent in the 24 hours following the film’s world premiere, indicating growing interest in international markets.
Can Ramayana Set a Record With Its Opening Day Collection?
Crossing the Rs 100 crore mark in worldwide advance bookings is a significant achievement for an Indian film. Only a limited number of major releases, including Baahubali 2, RRR, Pushpa 2 and Dhurandhar 2, have reached this milestone.
Considering its current advance booking trend, Ramayana: Part One is targeting a place among the top five biggest opening-day performers of all time.
Another encouraging factor is that ticket demand is not restricted to the opening day, with bookings also showing strength across the weekend. The film’s actual box office performance will become clearer once its Thursday collection figures are available.
Ramayana Cast, Release Plans and Budget
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana features a prominent ensemble cast, with Ranbir Kapoor portraying Lord Ram and Sai Pallavi playing Sita. Yash will appear as Ravana, while Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman and Sunny Deol portrays Hanuman.
The film also features Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi and Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha.
Produced by Namit Malhotra, the epic is planned as a two-part cinematic project. Dharma will handle its distribution in India, while Sony Pictures will manage its international release. The second instalment is scheduled to arrive around 2027.
The combined budget of the two films stands at approximately Rs 835 crore, potentially making Ramayana the most expensive Indian film project ever produced.