The weekend advance is already banked
Ramayana Part 1 does not go into its opening weekend hoping for luck. It goes in with real money already booked. According to trade tracker Sacnilk, the film closed its advance booking at Rs 130.12 crore gross in India including block seats, or Rs 105.12 crore without them, across seven show dates.
The day by day numbers show how the weekend built up. Day 2, Friday, November 6, closed its advance at Rs 22.25 crore gross including block seats, or Rs 17.35 crore without them, from 5.76 lakh tickets across 22,127 shows. Day 3, Saturday, November 7, closed at Rs 24.77 crore gross, or Rs 19.87 crore without block seats, from 6.53 lakh tickets across 21,336 shows. Day 4, Sunday, November 8, closed at Rs 16.09 crore gross, or Rs 11.94 crore without block seats, from 4.84 lakh tickets across 18,766 shows.
Those final advance figures are much higher than the early snapshots. Business Today reported on November 3 that Saturday advance stood at Rs 16.8 crore and Sunday at Rs 7.87 crore. By November 4, NDTV Profit had Saturday at Rs 21.60 crore and Sunday at Rs 14.73 crore. Advance booking is not the same as collections, since it only counts tickets sold before the shows play, but it is the best early sign of how big the weekend could be.
Saturday is strong, but Sunday is the day that matters
The calendar is the biggest reason this weekend matters so much. Ramayana released on Thursday, November 5, three days before Diwali, and the festival days fall right across the weekend. Dhanteras falls on Friday, November 6, Choti Diwali on Saturday, November 7, and Diwali itself, Lakshmi Puja, on Sunday, November 8. That makes Sunday the biggest family outing day of the year in India.
Trade expert Girish Johar has said exactly that. He pointed out that the film releases ahead of Diwali, with its debut on Thursday and the festival falling on Sunday, and he believes the major business will begin from Sunday onwards. He also said the pre-Diwali release should be taken into consideration when judging the opening day, because the real surge comes with the festival.
Sunday advance booking supports his view. It more than doubled from Rs 7.87 crore on November 3 to Rs 16.09 crore by release morning, the fastest growth of any day in the weekend. Saturday has the highest advance of the three weekend days at Rs 24.77 crore, but Saturday is still a pre-Diwali day, while Sunday is the festival itself. Families who wait for Diwali to go out together will be choosing between the film and the festival, and the film is counting on them choosing both.
The trade prediction for the weekend
The trade prediction for the opening weekend is big, but it comes with a wide range. Sacnilk's scenario table, published on October 30, put the opening weekend at Rs 175 crore net in India in the low case, Rs 240 crore net in the expected case, and Rs 350 crore net in the high case. The six day Diwali run, through Tuesday, November 10, was put at around Rs 400 crore net.
Girish Johar gave a similar weekend call. He said he hopes the film collects Rs 250 crore over its opening weekend, after a day 1 of around Rs 50 crore across languages in India. The middle of the pack sits at about Rs 240 crore net in India for the weekend.
Overseas, the weekend prediction is just as ambitious. Trade reports point to an overseas opening weekend of more than 20 million dollars, or about Rs 176 crore, with 25 million dollars, or about Rs 220 crore, possible if additional markets perform strongly. North America alone is projected at 13 to 14 million dollars over five days. All of these are predictions, and none of them is a result yet.
What the weekend needs to hit to count as a success
A weekend of Rs 240 crore net in India would be a huge result, but this film is being measured against a higher bar than most. The reported budget is around Rs 4,000 crore across both parts, which makes Ramayana the most expensive Indian film project ever attempted. The trade has talked about a lifetime collection of Rs 2,000 crore as possible, according to Bollywood Hungama, but that is a prediction, not a target set by the makers, and it depends on the film holding up well after the opening weekend.
The benchmark the film is chasing is Dhurandhar 2, which earned Rs 102.55 crore net in India on day 1, according to Sacnilk. If Ramayana lands in the Rs 70 to 75 crore net range on day 1, as early estimates suggest, it will not take the day 1 record, but a strong Saturday and a huge Diwali Sunday could still take the four day total past Rs 240 crore net.
The real test of success is not just the weekend total but what happens after it. The film runs 195 minutes, and mixed early word of mouth could slow it down. Viewers have praised the visual effects, Yash as Ravana and the Jatayu sequence, but some have called the narrative unexciting and the runtime too long. If families enjoy the Diwali outing, Monday and Tuesday, which bring Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj holidays, could add another big push.
The risks that could hold the weekend back
The biggest risk is the one the trade flagged before release. The film opened on a Thursday that is not a holiday, three days before Diwali, and the days before Diwali are traditionally tricky at the box office. People are busy with festival preparations, shopping and family duties, and cinema visits often wait until the festival itself.
The second risk is the mixed audience reaction. Early posts on X praised the scale, the VFX and Yash, but several viewers called the film average, pointed to the lengthy runtime and said the music did not land. A film that depends on repeat family viewing needs strong word of mouth, and the early reaction is split rather than unanimous.
What fans are saying on X
Meesaya murukku (@Anbave_iruppom), via NDTV, November 5, 2026: "#Ramayana honest review. Positive: VFX, Yash acting, fight scenes, interval, climax. Negative: Story, Run time to long, Music, lag more places, emotional not work. Average; 3/5." Reported in NDTV at https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ramayana-x-review-internet-calls-ranbir-kapoors-acting-painfully-dull-praises-yashs-ravana-and-jatayu-fight-scene-stunning-vfx-12285486 (post quoted by the outlet; the exact post URL could not be verified).
Mathrubhumi, November 5, 2026, quoting a viewer on X: "One viewer summed up the experience by calling it 'Drama'yana!!' The user listed outstanding VFX, production, and Yash's episodes, along with the Jatayu sequence, among the film's biggest strengths." Reported in Mathrubhumi at https://english.mathrubhumi.com/amp/movies-music/news/ramayana-x-review-is-ranbir-kapoor-and-yashs-film-dramayana-or-a-cinematic-masterpiece-netizens-react-vz0nxait (post quoted by the outlet; the exact post URL could not be verified).
Sources and reporting
- Business Today — Nov 3, 2026 · Verifies the Nov 3 advance snapshots of Rs 16.8 cr for Saturday and Rs 7.87 cr for Sunday, and the worldwide advance past Rs 100 cr
- Sacnilk — Nov 5, 2026 · Verifies the final at-release advance of Rs 130.12 cr gross, and day-wise Day 2 Rs 22.25 cr, Day 3 Rs 24.77 cr, Day 4 Rs 16.09 cr
- India TV — Oct 31, 2026 · Verifies the Sacnilk weekend prediction range of Rs 175-350 cr net with Rs 240 cr expected, the four day Rs 225-240 cr range, and the overseas weekend over 20 million dollars
