Ramayana: Part One is already putting up an overseas number that matters — and the Middle East, one of the biggest markets for Indian cinema, is still not open for bookings. As of Thursday, the Ranbir Kapoor and Yash starrer had clocked USD 2.85 million (about Rs 27 crore) in opening-weekend advance sales internationally. Roughly half of that came from the opening day alone.
North America is setting the early pace
Wednesday previews in North America brought in USD 875,000, and the region is closing in on USD 2 million for the weekend. In like-for-like terms, Pinkvilla’s trade tracking puts the film nearly 150 per cent ahead of Jawan in the United States, while it is running about 15–20 per cent behind Dhurandhar: The Revenge.
Australia and Canada are also strong. Both are tracking as the second-best pre-sales ever for a Hindi film, behind only Dhurandhar: The Revenge. The United Kingdom and Germany have responded well, though the film is trailing Jawan in those markets.
- Total overseas pre-sales so far: USD 2.85 million / about Rs 27 crore.
- North America previews: USD 875,000 from Wednesday shows.
- United States weekend pace: nearly 150% ahead of Jawan, 15–20% behind Dhurandhar 2.
- Australia and Canada: second-best Hindi pre-sales after Dhurandhar: The Revenge.
Why the Middle East gap matters
Ramayana: Part One has been on sale overseas for over two weeks, but it has not yet opened sales in the Middle East. That is a significant hole in the early total because the territory has delivered major openings for Indian films before. Jawan, for example, opened to USD 7.10 million in the Middle East in 2023.
Because that market is still missing from the current USD 2.85 million figure, the advance number is best read as a floor rather than a ceiling. When Pinkvilla strips out the Middle East from the comparison, Ramayana is tracking almost 80 per cent higher than Jawan and about 25 per cent lower than Dhurandhar: The Revenge.
The million-dollar range
Combining those signals, Pinkvilla sees the film as poised for an opening weekend of USD 20 million-plus, with potential to reach USD 25 million. Sony is handling distribution, which is giving the film a wider release than a typical Indian title in several non-traditional markets. That wider footprint could push the number higher if a few territories over-deliver.
For the celebrity-watcher audience, the stakes are simple: this is a rare attempt to turn a beloved mythological story into a global theatrical event, led by two of Indian cinema’s biggest stars. The overseas pre-sales are the first hard evidence of how far that appeal travels.
Wait for collections, not scraped numbers
If you see much higher advance figures floating around, look carefully. Pinkvilla notes that some circulating numbers are scraped from ticket booking sites and include blocked seats, or use face-value ticket prices. Actual box office is reported after passes bring down the average ticket price. So the real verdict arrives when collections start coming in, not before.
Source: PINKVILLA
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