Ramayana tops UK-Ireland box office with £2.14m opening

For years, the UK and Ireland box office has been the Indian film industry’s favourite near-miss. RRR, Pathaan and Jawan all took strong openings, but each topped out at second place. Ramayana: Rise of a Legend has just moved the benchmark.

A first for Indian cinema

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend has become the first Indian film to sit at number one on the UK and Ireland weekend chart. According to British Film Institute figures, the film opened with £2.14 million from November 6 to 8, playing across 361 cinemas at an average of £5,951 per screen.

That total includes £435,875 from previews at 337 locations. Until now, second place had been the ceiling for Indian titles in the territory: RRR, Pathaan, Jawan and Dhurandhar: The Revenge had all reached that position without going further.

The view from the top

The Nitesh Tiwari-directed epic did not just top the chart; it won against real competition. Disney’s Wild Horse Nine opened in second place with £1.47 million, while Japan’s Godzilla Minus Zero came third with £1.39 million. For Indian event cinema, this is no longer a conversation about the best Bollywood opening. It is about leading the overall market.

The wider weekend also matters. The top 15 films together collected £12.38 million, up 27.3 per cent on the previous weekend and 70.8 per cent on the same weekend last year. The film led a growing market, not a quiet one.

A phased global run

The release is being rolled out in phases by Sony Pictures International. The film reaches Hong Kong, Mexico and parts of Central Asia on November 12, followed by Brazil, Italy, Ukraine and Hungary on November 19. Poland gets it on November 20, and Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and other parts of Latin America on November 26.

Another Indian release, Scene, also landed in the top 15 at number 14 with £301,808. That detail matters: it suggests an Indian slate beginning to show up in a competitive chart rather than one lone breakout.

• UK and Ireland: first Indian film to take the weekend number one
• £2.14 million opening, including previews of £435,875
• 361 cinemas, £5,951 per-screen average
• Scene entered the chart at number 14 with £301,808

What fans can do

If you are in one of the next rollout territories, mark the dates: November 12, 19, 20 or 26 depending on your market. This is a film built on scale, and the per-screen average of £5,951 suggests audiences are turning up for the theatrical experience. Do not read a UK number one as a worldwide total, but it is a strong opening statement.

Source: India Today