Ramayana: Part One, the much-anticipated epic starring Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, is showing strong early interest ahead of its theatrical release, selling nearly two lakh tickets in advance booking ten days before it hits cinemas.
The film went on sale a couple of days ago, and since then it has kept the cash counters ringing. At the end of Sunday, the film had over 175,000 ticket sales at the two national cinema chains for the Hindi version alone, including 90,000 for the first day. Add to that the sales for the Kannada and Telugu versions, and the figure rises to nearly 200,000 tickets, according to trade reports.
The early numbers look even stronger when set against industry tracker Sacnilk's data. As of October 25, Ramayana had sold over two lakh tickets across 3,707 shows in India, with eight shows already marked housefull, though most screenings still had seats available. Advance ticket sales for the opening day stood at Rs 8.16 crore including blocked seats, and Rs 6.15 crore after excluding blocked seats.
In all, the advances for the Hindi version for the opening weekend are over Rs 10 crore net.
The Hindi version is leading the advance-booking numbers, accounting for around 92 per cent of ticket sales. The Kannada version has recorded collections worth more than Rs 41 lakh, while the Telugu version has earned Rs 16.33 lakh, contributing around two per cent of the bookings.
Maharashtra has emerged as the leading state in terms of advance sales, with collections of Rs 1.93 crore, while Delhi-NCR is another major market, recording ticket sales worth more than Rs 1.78 crore. Among individual cities, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad are reporting some of the highest booking figures.
Premium pricing is also part of the story. Tickets for the opening day are priced at more than Rs 3,000 in some theatres, reflecting both the scale of the production and the willingness of audiences to pay a premium for the first-day experience of a film of this magnitude.
The film, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Yash as Ravana, and is being positioned as a large-scale theatrical spectacle based on one of the country's most enduring cultural narratives.
Indian films generally do not open ticket sales this far out, and Ramayana is an exception to that pattern. Bookings opened on Dussehra, nearly two weeks before the film's November 5 release, giving audiences an unusually long window to reserve seats. The one comparable film is Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which opened 11 days out but just for previews.
At the same time before release, in the first two days of sales, that film had sold 135,000 tickets. Trade observers caution that this is not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it is the closest available benchmark, and Ramayana's early pace sits comfortably ahead of it.
The comparison matters because advance sales are an important indicator of audience intent, particularly for a major theatrical release. They reflect the level of interest among viewers who are willing to reserve seats before reviews, word of mouth and opening-day screenings influence wider public response.
For a film of the scale associated with Ramayana: Part One, early bookings also provide insight into how strongly audiences are responding to its cast, subject and promotional visibility.
At the same time, the figure should be read as an early market signal rather than a final measure of success. Advance sales alone do not determine a film's eventual box office performance. The wider performance will depend on factors including the number of screens, show availability, audience reception and sustained footfall after the opening weekend.
In presales, what matters most is the performance during the final stretch, starting from the Monday before release to the day before release, when the day-before-release numbers can at times change the entire outlook of advance booking.
For now, however, Ramayana: Part One has a healthy head start, which it continues to build. Beyond the national chains, the film has sales open in other chains as well, and some single screens in South India for dubbed versions, widening its reach beyond the multiplex audience.
By the Monday before release, it will have other films to compare with, including Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which opened general weekend sales four days prior to release, giving trade watchers a clearer sense of how the two big releases stack up.
The film's early momentum also reflects the unusual anticipation surrounding it. A screen adaptation of the Ramayana on this scale, bringing together two major performers from different corners of Indian cinema, has been discussed and awaited for years. The casting of Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, the Dussehra opening of bookings, and the steady drumbeat of promotional material have combined to create a sense of event around the release that few films achieve before they open.
Whether that anticipation converts into a historic opening weekend will become clear only as the release approaches and the crucial final days of presales unfold. What is already clear is that audiences are responding early and in large numbers, with nearly two lakh tickets sold ten days out, a healthy opening-weekend advance for the Hindi version, and housefull boards already appearing at select shows.
For a film industry that watches advance booking as its earliest verdict, Ramayana: Part One has passed its first test with room to spare.
The geography of the early sales is itself revealing. Maharashtra leading the state-wise collections, ahead of Delhi-NCR, shows that the film's appeal is not confined to the southern markets where dubbed versions traditionally perform, but is strongest in the Hindi heartland's biggest multiplex circuits.
Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad emerging as the top booking cities points to a genuinely pan-India footprint, with the Hindi version driving the advance while the southern dubbed versions add steadily on top.
It is also worth noting how unusual the booking window itself is. Most Indian films open advance sales only a few days before release, when the final marketing push is under way and reviews are imminent. Ramayana opened its bookings on Dussehra, nearly two weeks before its November 5 release, a decision that only makes sense for a film confident that its audience does not need last-minute persuasion.
That confidence appears to have been well placed: with eight shows already housefull and the Hindi weekend advance past Rs 10 crore net, the film enters its final presale stretch with momentum that most releases can only hope for.
(Reporting based on Pinkvilla and The Economic Times.)