For about 10 days, a deadlock between the makers and exhibitors over revenue sharing had curtailed the advance bookings. As the release day approaches for Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana , the advance bookings have finally opened in full flow. But over the weekend, that was resolved, opening up more screens, including the crucial single screens. This has seen the film register huge jumps in advance bookings in India, while the overseas numbers continue to impress.
What has helped Ramayana’s case is the pre-sales buzz overseas. In North America, the film will have paid previews on November 4, the eve of its release. The 24 hours after its world premiere saw the film register a 27% jump in collections. By Monday morning, the film had earned $3.9 million in overseas advance bookings, including over $1.5 million for the US paid previews alone. This takes the film’s worldwide advance-booking gross to ₹ 75 crore three days before its release.
Advance bookings for Ramayana opened on Dussehra, 15 full days before its global release. But for the next 10 days, only the Hindi version had extensive shows. By Monday morning, the number of screens for the film had increased to 3,500, with 1,000 added in the last two days. By the morning of November 2, three days before its release, the film had grossed ₹ 37 crore in pre-sales in India. This included an impressive ₹ 22 crore from the opening day itself. As of Monday morning, the Kannada version had sold tickets worth almost ₹ 4 crore, while the Telugu version had also crossed ₹ 2 crore. The first part is scheduled for worldwide release on November 5, 2026, while the second part is set for Diwali 2027.
And there, too, most of the single-screen and smaller centres were yet to open. The remainder is spread over its extended weekend. The Hindi version continues to lead the way, but the Kannada and Telugu versions are rapidly gaining ground now. Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana is planned as a two-part film. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The films will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam across India. Sony Pictures will handle global distribution, excluding India, while Dharma Productions will distribute the film in the Hindi-speaking market. The film is also planned for a worldwide IMAX release.
Since then, more theatres are opening pre-sales for the film across India each hour. But on Friday, the stalemate between the exhibitors and distributors ended as terms were reached.
