Ramayana, India’s most expensive film, opens with records on three continents as Diwali arrives

Ramayana opened in India on Thursday, three days before Diwali, and the first numbers suggest the gamble behind the most expensive Indian film yet has made a strong start.

The film took ₹64.85 crore net (₹77.50 crore gross) in India on its first day, according to the trade tracker Sacnilk, with ₹47.50 crore of that from the Hindi version. With an estimated ₹50 crore from overseas, its first-day worldwide gross was about ₹127.5 crore, crossing the ₹100 crore mark in a single day. Trade figures are estimates and are often revised.

What records has it broken?

On the Hindi figures, Ramayana had the biggest opening day for a Bollywood film released before Diwali, beating Tiger 3’s ₹43 crore. Its overall first-day India total ranks third for a Bollywood film, behind Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge and Drishyam 3: The Conclusion.

In North America, Sony Pictures released it on 1,433 screens, the widest an Indian film has had. Sony projected a three-day weekend of US$7.3 million, which would rank among the five biggest Indian debuts there, ahead of Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, and the best of Kapoor’s career, beating Animal’s US$6.5 million. Counting Thursday, the four-day total is about US$10.8 million.

Why does the budget matter so much?

At a reported ₹2,000 crore, about US$210 million, Ramayana cost more than three times the previous Indian record holder, Kalki 2898 AD, at ₹600 crore. That puts it in Hollywood blockbuster territory, and one estimate puts its break-even point as high as US$525 million worldwide.

That is why the overseas numbers matter as much as India’s. The film is built for a global audience: it premiered at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in October and was promoted with a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, alongside Hollywood’s biggest franchises.

Who made it?

Tiwari, who directed the wrestling hit Dangal, directs from a screenplay he co-wrote. Kapoor plays Rama, Yash, the star of the Kannada-language KGF films, makes his Bollywood debut as the demon king Ravana, and Sai Pallavi plays Sita. Yash is also a producer alongside Namit Malhotra, whose visual effects company has worked on Hollywood films.

Early audience reaction is warm: the film had an 89 per cent audience score and 76 per cent from critics on Rotten Tomatoes by the weekend.

Can I see it in Australia?

Yes. Ramayana is showing in cinemas in Australia and New Zealand this weekend, after advance ticket sales opened here weeks before release. It runs 154 minutes, and its release lands on Diwali weekend for Australia’s large Indian community.