The weeks around Diwali are the busiest period of the film year in India, and this year the calendar is crowded, according to release calendars from Pinkvilla, Cinetalk and FilmiBeat. IndiaX24 has combined them below and flags where the listings disagree.
The run began on 15 October with Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2, which earned Rs 59.70 crore net in India on its first day, as IndiaX24 reports in a separate article. Vijay Deverakonda’s Ranabaali followed on 16 October, according to a Pinkvilla list, and IndiaX24 has reported on its trailer. On the same day, Raftaar and Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam also opened, so there are at least four significant releases within two days, a count by IndiaX24.
On 17 October, Garividi Lakshmi follows as a smaller Telugu release, as IndiaX24 also reports. The weekend of 17 and 18 October is therefore a test of how audiences divide among the films.
Dhoom 4 is listed for 31 October 2026, but the listings are not consistent. One search summary says that some sources mention 25 December 2026 as the date, and an IMDb page lists the film as a 2027 title. The same search found conflicting reports about the director, naming Maneesh Sharma in some and Ayan Mukerji in others, and different casts, with names including Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Wamiqa Gabbi, Akshay Kumar and Abhishek Bachchan. The only item common to all is that Yash Raj Films is the producer. IndiaX24 therefore does not rely on the date or the cast.
Ramayana: Part 1 is the biggest title, and its date is itself disputed, as IndiaX24 reports in a separate article: the official site gives 8 November for India and 6 November overseas, while others say that premiere shows start on 5 November. Diwali falls on 8 November, according to the calendar.
Bhogi is listed for 12 November, according to one release calendar in the search results, and IndiaX24 knows nothing more about it than the date, so it does not describe the film. If the date holds, it will open four days after Diwali.
The gaps between releases can be counted. From Jailer 2 on 15 October to Ramayana on 8 November is 24 days, and from Dhoom 4 on 31 October to Ramayana is eight days, calculations by IndiaX24 which assume the dates listed. A short gap between two large films means that the first has little time to collect before screens are given to the second.
Trade expectations for Diwali week are high. One article says that the Diwali frontrunner is expected to target an opening weekend of more than Rs 250 crore, according to a search summary, but IndiaX24 has not verified the figure or identified the source’s basis for it.
The calendar also shows how the Hindi and South Indian industries share the season. Jailer 2, Ranabaali and Garividi Lakshmi are South Indian films, and the Hindi titles are Raftaar, Prahaar, Dhoom 4 and Ramayana, though Ranabaali and Jailer 2 are also released in Hindi, according to the earlier reports, so the split is not clean.
Release dates in India change often, and several films this year have been postponed, as IndiaX24 has reported for Prahaar and Raftaar. Readers should check dates with theatres before planning.
IndiaX24 will update the calendar as dates are confirmed.
Image: The Regal cinema in Connaught Place, New Delhi (file photo; a stand-in image). Photo by Manoel Lemos from S�o Paulo, Brazil, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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