Ramayana is set for a grand theatrical release on November 5, 2026.
The advance booking sales are expected to cross Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar 2.
Films like Godzilla Minus Zero and Lakadbaggha 2 have been postponed to avoid a clash.
Advance booking for Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Rise of a Legend's opened on October 20, 2026 (coinciding with Dussehra). The pre-sales figures hint that Ranbir Kapoor-Yash's film will be a juggernaut at the box office. This has led other films releasing in the time frame to push their dates and save themselves from a possible financial loss. We spoke to trade experts and understand what kind of box office tsunami is expected from the Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi starrer.
According to a report by 123Telugu, PVR INOX Pictures is considering postponing the new Godzilla film. Some reports claimed that Godzilla Minus Zero, the first Japanese film to be filmed in IMAX, has received limited IMAX screenings in India, as Ramayana was allocated the most premium-format slots. Lakadbaggha 2, scheduled for November 7, has also been pushed.
As per Sacnilk, the new Godzilla film might get just one show a day at several IMAX properties, leaving the majority of screenings for the Indian epic. Godzilla Minus Zero postponement news sparked criticism against PVR as Godzilla and MonsterVerse films have performed very well at the Indian box office.
Ramayana's box office prospects and screen dominance
Movie trade and PR expert Girish Wankhede predicts a ₹100-110 crore (gross) opening for Ramayana in India. "Globally it could reach ₹200 crore," he adds.
Ramayana is a huge release, but Wankhede feels that the "possibility around the film is diminishing as the release date is nearing", adding that "AR Rahman's music and songs have been caught up in the negative publicity and music has not picked up and there have been less praise about the special effects."
"You can't put all your bets on only one film. There should be variety or options for the audience. If there was Golmaal Returns, there was also Fashion on the same day. The attitude to dominate a market is wrong," he adds.
Massive scale and screen dominance drive rival films away
Film critic Taran Adarsh calls Ramayana a "huge brand" and believes that when a big-budget phenomenon like comes closer to release, other films' decision to move out of the way is a sensible move.
"When you have a big film coming in, the audience’s interest goes towards that and all the other films in the wave get washed over. The issue of screens and shows is that theatre people want to capitalise on this film. People generally feel that they won’t get enough shows and it is better to opt out of the race."
"A lot of figures are floating in the market. What happens is, today everyone is a trade analyst on social media, and they throw random figures but how do you know? A big amount is definitely invested. The money is important and even the reputation. You see what happened with Adipurush and it’s a horrible film," he adds.
Talking about how much box office loss Lakadbaggha 2 and Godzilla Minus Zero are preventing from happening, film exhibitor Akkshay Rathie tells us, "When you are coming with a film like this, it's best to clear the way. While it is difficult to put a number, the films which have rescheduled their dates have saved approximately 25-50% of money and profit." He feels it will profit Godzilla and Lakadbaggha 2 in the best way.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan weighs in on the decision to reshuffle dates.
"The first choice of all the theatres and multiplexes would be to showcase Ramayana rather than any other film. No cinema hall in India would want to miss showcasing Ramayana this Diwali and we all know how Diwali releases are the biggest attraction of the year."
On Godzilla fans slamming PVR, he says, "The audience of Twitter doesn't convert to the actual cinema-going audience. There are very few people who come to the theatres and watch movies. One of the biggest stars we have is Ranbir Kapoor playing Lord Ram on the big screen. Yash, we all know, is a big name. It's okay that Toxic didn't do well. I respect it. He is a big name and Yash as Ravan is going to be a very different universe we are going to see. Sunny Deol is playing Hanuman in the film."
On Ramayana's global advance sales
Atul Mohan says, "Advance sales is very good. US has raked in some 2.5 million or 3 million in pre-sales, which is very good. This is usually the lifetime collection of some big movies, but here it is just the pre-sales figure. Indian diaspora would want their kids to come to theatres and watch what their Indian culture is all about. Ramayana is going to be a big attraction for the Indian diaspora globally. It will be a different experience to tell your kids about your culture through cinema.
When asked how much he expects it to earn globally, he says it's too early to predict. "Negotiations and bookings are going on till the last minute. We will get to know how many countries and how many screens they are doing. But the numbers are going to be crazy.
Questioned if it can surpass Dhurandhar 2's Day 1 collection, he expresses hope.
In November, there are two major releases: Ayushmann Khurrana and Sharvari's Yeh Prem Mol Liya and Emraan Hashmi's Gunmaaster G9. Ramayana might affect these two movies. "For big films, there is a ripple effect for 2-3 weeks. But Rajshri has its own draw for the family audience. Gunmaaster G9 is a mass-oriented movie. So I think it will be squeezed out. Ramayana is a big film. If it appeals to people, it is likely to stay in theatres for 3-5 weeks. Also, we might see a release shuffle of forthcoming films," he concludes.
