Ramayana advance bookings pass Rs 25 crore ahead of 5 November release

Ramayana has sold more than Rs 25 crore worth of advance tickets, two days before its release in India on 5 November. The mythological film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi, and is produced by Namit Malhotra.

Kamal Gianchandani, chief business planning and strategy officer at PVR INOX, posted on X on 3 November. He said the film had broken what he called the pre-Diwali jinx, the long-held belief that the days before Diwali are poor for big releases. He added that the film was on course for the biggest pre-Diwali advance bookings in PVR INOX's history of more than 30 years. He called it "a phenomenal milestone" for Indian cinema.

The pre-Diwali period is usually difficult for cinemas. Families are busy with shopping and festive preparations, so filmmakers often prefer to release their biggest films on Diwali or just after it. Ramayana is going against that pattern.

Other trade estimates are more optimistic. One outlet put advance sales at Rs 30 crore across India as of Monday night and said the final pre-sales could reach Rs 60 crore. It also estimated the Hindi version could earn as much as Rs 90 crore in its real value, and forecast a place among the top three opening days of all time. Another prediction put the Hindi version's first-day net collection at Rs 65 crore or more, and suggested it could be Bollywood's second-biggest opening. These figures are projections, not box office results, and they differ from one another.

The film's marketing has also drawn mixed reactions. Its first teaser was well received, but the two trailers and songs got a more divided response, which one prediction said could hold back the opening day.

For readers, the release matters mainly as a test of whether big films can succeed over the Diwali period. Cinema-goers planning to watch it on opening weekend may find that shows in major chains are filling up. Actual first-day collections will be known only after the film opens on 5 November.