Mumbai, November 6, 2026: Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana has opened to one of the biggest collections of 2026, setting a new pre-Diwali opening benchmark despite arriving in cinemas three days before the festival. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash, the film collected ₹64.85 crore India net and ₹77.50 crore India gross on Thursday, November 5, across approximately 25,200 tracked shows. The film also surpassed Adipurush in Hindi opening-day collections but remained behind the Prabhas starrer in overall India net, largely due to the latter’s much stronger Telugu business. The opening places it among Indian cinema’s major first-day performers, although it has fallen short of some of the larger records anticipated before release.
Ramayana Sets a New Pre-Diwali Opening Record but the Bigger Test Is Still Ahead
The comparison includes major Hindi films released immediately before Diwali, alongside Tiger 3, which opened on the festival day itself in 2023. While Ramayana has surpassed these films in opening-day Hindi net collections, their different release timings are important. Tiger 3 faced Diwali-day restrictions before witnessing a substantial jump the following day, while Housefull 4 and Krrish 3 also benefited from post-festival growth. These trends suggest that Ramayana’s performance after Sunday’s celebrations could be as important as its record-breaking opening.
The closest historical examples are Krrish 3, Housefull 4 and the 2016 clash between Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Shivaay. All four opened shortly before Diwali, when festive preparations often restricted evening attendance, particularly in North Indian mass circuits. Older releases such as Don and Jaan-E-Mann followed a similar calendar strategy, but their collections belong to a considerably smaller theatrical market..
Ramayana’s pre-Diwali release also recalls Ranbir Kapoor’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which opened against Shivaay in 2016 and performed better in multiplex markets. A decade later, Ramayana has entered the same festive window with a much wider release and stronger advance bookings, although higher ticket prices and premium formats make direct collection comparisons less meaningful.
Housefull 4 and Krrish 3 offer a more relevant lesson, as both benefited from substantial growth after Diwali despite relatively restrained openings before the festival. Ramayana faces a different calendar, with Diwali falling on Sunday, November 8, within its four-day opening weekend. While Sunday evening celebrations could affect attendance, Monday’s post-Diwali holiday period may provide the bigger opportunity.
Ramayana Records 2026’s Third-Biggest Bollywood Opening Behind Dhurandhar 2 and Drishyam 3
Beyond its pre-Diwali record, Ramayana has secured the third-highest opening-day Hindi net collection among Bollywood films released in 2026. It remains behind Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge and Drishyam 3: The Conclusion but has comfortably surpassed Border 2 and Mirzapur: The Movie. The achievement is particularly notable given its Thursday release ahead of the main Diwali holiday, although the film’s extensive theatrical rollout and premium-format screenings also played an important role in generating its opening business.
The comparison highlights the advantage established franchises enjoyed at the box office this year. Dhurandhar 2 arrived following the extraordinary success of its predecessor, while Drishyam 3 benefited from an audience already invested in Vijay Salgaonkar’s story. Ramayana, despite drawing from a familiar narrative, had to establish its own theatrical identity.
For director Nitesh Tiwari, the film has nevertheless delivered his biggest opening, moving comfortably ahead of Dangal. However, Dangal’s historic success came from sustained audience demand rather than an exceptional opening-day collection. With Ramayana planned as a two-part cinematic event, its ability to maintain momentum during and after the festive weekend will be crucial to establishing the commercial foundation for its sequel.
Ramayana vs Adipurush: The Hindi Version Wins but Telugu Business Changes the Picture
One of the most relevant comparisons is with Adipurush, the 2023 film based on the same epic. The comparison has commercial significance beyond the shared source material because both projects were positioned as major theatrical spectacles with significant expectations across multiple Indian languages. However, their respective lead markets were fundamentally different. Adipurush was a Telugu-Hindi bilingual headlined by Prabhas, while Ramayana is primarily a Hindi production released in dubbed versions for southern audiences.
Ramayana’s stronger Hindi opening could not offset Adipurush’s Telugu dominance, which contributed more than half of its Day 1 India net, largely driven by Prabhas’s home-market popularity. Ramayana, meanwhile, has relied heavily on Hindi, with Kannada emerging as its strongest dubbed version, supported by Yash’s popularity. The contrasting language contributions explain why their overall openings tell only part of the story.
However, Adipurush’s massive debut was followed by a sharp decline amid negative audience reactions, preventing it from sustaining its initial momentum. Ramayana now has an opportunity to deliver a stronger theatrical run despite its lower opening, provided audience response remains favourable. Its relatively modest Telugu start and increasing competition from regional releases make the coming weekend particularly important for its performance outside the Hindi market.
Ramayana has crossed the ₹100 crore worldwide milestone on its opening day, registering an estimated₹127.50 crore gross, comprising ₹77.50 crore from India and an estimated ₹50 crore from overseas markets. North America has emerged as a major contributor, with Venky Box Office reporting approximately $2 million from premieres and another $1.5 million from Thursday’s business. While the domestic collections are final, the overseas and worldwide figures remain provisional pending consolidation of international markets. The strong global start provides a promising foundation ahead of the Diwali weekend, when sustained audience demand will determine the film’s box office momentum.
For Ramayana’s complete day-wise India net, India gross, overseas and worldwide box office collections, click here to view the latest box office report on Sacnilk.
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