Ramayana Part 1 hits ₹26.44 crore by 2 pm, eyes ₹70 crore day one

Nitesh Tiwari’s much-awaited Ramayana: Part 1 has finally landed in theatres worldwide, opening just ahead of the Diwali weekend with Ranbir Kapoor and Yash leading the cast. The film is reportedly mounted on a budget of ₹1,600 crore, a number that has trade circles calling it the most expensive Indian film ever made.

By 2 pm on day one, the epic had collected ₹26.44 crore net in India, according to Sacnilk. That is a promising start, but the day’s final figure — and the longer run — depends on how strongly word of mouth builds once the initial rush settles.

Hindi leads the opening-day charge

The Hindi version is doing most of the heavy lifting so far. The Kannada version contributed ₹3.22 crore, a relatively slower start despite Yash playing Ravana, while the Telugu version performed decently. Tamil and Malayalam remained smaller contributors in the provisional figures, which can still change as the day progresses.

Several theatres reported houseful screenings in the morning, showing genuine demand. At the same time, advance sales have not matched the extraordinary numbers recorded by Dhurandhar 2 earlier this year, the film that currently owns the all-time opening-day record.

What a ₹70 crore day one would mean

Trade expectations are clustered around a ₹70 crore opening day. If evening and night shows hold, the film would move past several major Hindi debuts:

• Pathaan — ₹57 crore
• Drishyam 2 — ₹62 crore
• Animal — ₹63 crore

Those comparisons are based on India net collections. The next benchmarks are tougher: Jawan’s Hindi opening of roughly ₹75 crore, and the all-time record of ₹102 crore set by Dhurandhar 2.

Why the Diwali weekend matters more than day one

For a film of this scale, day one is only the opening test. The long Diwali weekend gives Ramayana: Part 1 room to grow, but only if positive word of mouth travels beyond the first wave of fans. With a reported budget of ₹1,600 crore, the film needs family audiences to keep returning through the holiday.

For Hindi film fans, this is more than a one-day number. It is a test of whether a mythological epic on this budget can draw the broad audience needed to justify its scale. If the weekend grows, it sets a new bar for event cinema; if it dips, the conversation will shift quickly to budgets and sustainability.

The simplest way to read it: a ₹70 crore start would be among the best ever for a Hindi release, but it is still some distance from the all-time record. The next 72 hours — and the Diwali holiday crowd — will tell us whether that gap closes.

Source: The Times of India