Mumbai, November 2, 2026: The North American advance-booking race for Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana: Part One has entered a decisive phase, with the mythological epic now approaching the final major benchmark in its US premiere ticket-sales comparison. After previously moving ahead of Animal, Jawan, Pushpa 2, Pathaan and RRR, the film has also crossed the estimated premiere-ticket benchmarks associated with Baahubali 2 and Kalki 2898 AD. With more than 50,000 tickets sold for its November 4 US paid previews, Dhurandhar 2 is now the only remaining target among the eight major Indian blockbusters in the comparison.
The progress is striking considering where Ramayana stood just three days earlier. On October 30, Sacnilk reported that the film had crossed RRR’s estimated benchmark with approximately 37,000 premiere tickets. Since then, the tally has increased by nearly 40%, taking it past two more major reference points. The latest momentum has also brought Ramayana close to the premiere-ticket level used to assess Dhurandhar 2’s massive $14 million North American opening. However, surpassing that ticket benchmark would not automatically mean breaking the film’s actual opening-gross record.
Ramayana Surpasses Seven Major Benchmarks as Dhurandhar 2 Remains the Final Challenge
The comparison has become particularly interesting because the films involved represent some of Indian cinema’s biggest overseas successes. Baahubali 2 and Kalki 2898 AD were among the strongest Telugu-film performers in North America, while Jawan, Pathaan and Dhurandhar 2 demonstrated the growing overseas potential of Hindi blockbusters. Ramayana has now moved beyond the estimated US premiere-ticket equivalents associated with seven of these films, leaving the highest benchmark within striking distance.
While Ramayana has already moved ahead of the seven lower reference levels, Dhurandhar 2 presents a significantly tougher challenge. The Ranveer Singh blockbuster reportedly generated around $14 million during its extended North American opening, including approximately $10 million over the regular Friday-to-Sunday weekend. Ramayana’s advance-booking momentum suggests that such a debut is within the range of possible outcomes, but the remaining challenge extends beyond simply selling another few thousand premiere tickets.
Can Ramayana Challenge Dhurandhar 2’s $14 Million Opening?
Current booking trends point towards a potential five-day North American opening in the region of $13 million to $14 million, placing Ramayana remarkably close to Dhurandhar 2’s reported benchmark. However, this is an indicative projection based on early ticket sales and historical conversion patterns, not a confirmed box office prediction. The decisive factor will be whether the film can maintain its booking momentum beyond Wednesday’s paid previews.
That distinction becomes clearer when examining the current distribution of ticket sales. More than 1.40 lakh tickets have already been booked across the November 4–8 US opening period, with approximately 37% concentrated on preview night. The remaining sales are divided between Thursday’s opening day and the subsequent three-day weekend. Interestingly, preview night and Thursday together currently account for slightly more tickets than the entire Friday-to-Sunday period, indicating that the earliest screenings are attracting particularly strong demand. This concentration could work both for and against the film. Higher-priced premiere screenings should help generate a strong opening-night gross, but a record extended opening will also require substantial turnout across the following days.
Stay tuned…
