Ranbir Kapoor and Yash Starrer Ramayana Earns Rs 4.88 Crore in Early Advance Bookings

Advance ticket sales for the upcoming film Ramayana have crossed Rs 4.88 crore within a day across 104 cities in India. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the first part of this two-part epic adaptation is scheduled to release in cinemas on November 5 to coincide with Diwali. By 8 am on Wednesday, the film sold 84,969 tickets nationwide, with collections reaching Rs 3.05 crore when excluding block bookings. The Hindi version leads the sales at Rs 4.62 crore, while the dubbed Kannada version stands at Rs 24.92 lakh and the Telugu version at Rs 47,400, according to data from Sacnilk which puts current occupancy at 11 percent.

Regional Sales and Ticket Prices

The Delhi-NCR region recorded the highest sales with Rs 1.42 crore from 18,674 tickets, followed by Mumbai with Rs 1.01 crore from 14,823 tickets, Pune at Rs 27.36 lakh, Kolkata at Rs 22.03 lakh, and Bengaluru at Rs 19.18 lakh. In Mumbai, recliner seats for IMAX 3D shows at PVR ICON in Lower Parel are priced at Rs 2,770 for November 5 and 6. Show timings in the city range from an early morning show at 6:45 am at Miraj Cinemas in Wadala to a late night show at 11:45 pm at Maison INOX in BKC.

Cast and Production

The film features Ranbir Kapoor in the role of Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and KGF star Yash as the primary antagonist, Ravana. The star-studded cast also includes Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Arun Govil as Dasharatha, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, Anupam Kher as Jatayu, and Rakul Preet Singh as Surpanakha. Ramayana is co-produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus and Yash's Monster Mind Creations, while overseas distribution is handled by Sony Pictures International.

Distribution Dispute and Music

Bookings initially opened for limited morning shows on Tuesday following a reported dispute between distributors Dharma Productions and exhibitors over revenue shares during the first three weeks. Dharma Productions, which acquired pan-India distribution rights for over Rs 250 crore earlier this year, reportedly sought higher shares of 60, 50, and 40 percent compared to the standard 52.5, 45, and 37.5 percent. Later on Tuesday, full advance bookings opened alongside the release of a promotional video featuring Yash's Ravana. The music involves contributions from Vishal Dadlani, Kumar Vishwas, Anirudh Ravichander, GV Prakash Kumar, AR Ameen, and Hiral Viradia.

Context

Advance booking trends for major festival releases often serve as an early indicator of a film's box office opening potential. Major epics featuring large star casts frequently secure extensive screen counts across metropolitan regions weeks ahead of their theatrical debut.