Ramayana: Part 1, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, opens worldwide on 5 November 2026, with paid previews on 4 November and release in IMAX and other premium formats. Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, Yash plays Ravana, Sunny Deol plays Hanuman and Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman, with music by A. R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer. It is produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios with Yash's Monster Mind Creations, is distributed internationally by Sony Pictures and will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Part 2 is reported to be slated for Diwali 2027.
The case that the film will be a very large hit rests on early demand and scale. Bookings opened on 20 October, and by 26 October trade tracker Sacnilk put worldwide advance sales for the opening day, including the North American previews, at about 2.15 million dollars, or Rs 20.50 crore. That included over 550,000 dollars from the North American previews on 4 November and more than 400,000 dollars overseas for 5 November. BookMyShow had sold nearly one lakh tickets in about four days. The film also opens at the start of the festival period, three days before Diwali, and sells in five languages, which widens its reach beyond the Hindi belt. Yash, who is also a producer, brings a large following from the Kannada industry, and the presence of Sai Pallavi and Sunny Deol spreads the appeal across regions. A. R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer composing together is itself a selling point that few Indian films can offer, and IMAX screenings are reported to have sold out in some places.
The case for caution is that the early numbers, while strong, are not record-breaking. Business Today reported that the film's first-day advance gross in India was Rs 5.44 crore including block seats, while Dhurandhar 2 had made over Rs 10 crore in the corresponding booking period. Dhurandhar 2 sold about 87,810 BookMyShow tickets within 24 hours of its paid-preview bookings opening, while Ramayana needed about four days to approach one lakh. Block bookings, where seats are bought in bulk, can also inflate early figures. Reports also described high prices for premium seats, which can limit repeat viewing, and a retelling of a story that every viewer already knows leaves little room for surprise, so reviews and word of mouth will decide the second weekend, when the festival crowds thin out and ordinary demand takes over.
The release matters well beyond one film. Ramayana is an attempt to build a franchise on an Indian epic, and its performance will influence how studios finance mythological and pan-Indian projects. A strong run would also lift cinemas during Diwali week, while a weak one would reinforce the view that spectacle alone cannot carry a story the audience has seen many times before.
The advance figures, which were still being updated by trackers and are subject to change, show interest but not certainty. Ramayana: Part 1 now has to turn curiosity into repeat viewing, and the box office reports from its first weekend will show whether the hype was justified.
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