Two Day 1 totals that do not match
Dhurandhar 2 has two different opening day totals floating around, and both are real. They just measure different things. Pinkvilla's all time India table puts Dhurandhar: The Revenge at Rs 138 crore gross in India on Day 1, the second biggest Indian opener ever after Pushpa 2 at Rs 191 crore.
Box Office India reports Dhurandhar 2 at Rs 130 crore worldwide on Day 1, made up of Rs 91 crore gross in India and Rs 39 crore overseas, and states plainly that this does not include paid previews. Movie Talkies puts the same ex-previews worldwide figure at around Rs 131 crore.
Then there is the bigger number. The Indian Express, in its October 27 advance booking article, put Dhurandhar 2's worldwide opening at Rs 226.60 crore. Its March report from release week put the Day 1 worldwide total at Rs 236.63 crore, with India net at Rs 145.55 crore including Rs 43 crore from paid previews. Those totals bundle the paid preview shows into the opening. Box Office India says that with previews added, its total goes to Rs 195 crore, which still sits below the Express figures because trackers count overseas and gross differently. The lesson is simple: never compare a with-previews total to a without-previews total.
Where Ramayana stood on Thursday afternoon
Ramayana has no final Day 1 total yet. What exists is a live trail from tracker Sacnilk, and every figure below is a live estimate with its timestamp. At 7 am, the film was at Rs 3.66 crore net in India. By 12 pm, the Financial Express reported Rs 17.10 crore net and Rs 20.18 crore gross in India. At 1:03 pm, Sacnilk had the film at Rs 22.60 crore net in India and Rs 26.67 crore gross, from 11,621 shows.
Hindi led with Rs 16.04 crore net from 9,404 shows. Kannada added Rs 3.02 crore, Telugu Rs 2.27 crore, Tamil Rs 88 lakh and Malayalam Rs 39 lakh. The Kannada number matters because Yash's home audience is turning out strongly.
Ramayana closed its Day 1 advance booking at Rs 50.08 crore gross in India, including blocked seats, with 14.05 lakh tickets sold, according to Sacnilk via The Hollywood Reporter India. The morning live totals are mostly those pre-sold tickets being counted as shows play out. The evening shows and walk-ins will decide the final Day 1. Do not treat any afternoon number as the final total.
What the trade expected before release
Before a single show played, the trade was split. Movie Talkies projected an India gross of Rs 103 to 108 crore on Day 1, with overseas adding Rs 45 to 50 crore, for a worldwide opening of about Rs 150 to 155 crore gross. On that math, Ramayana would pass Dhurandhar 2's Rs 131 crore ex-previews mark and set a new Bollywood record. The Indian Express projected around Rs 200 crore worldwide, and Gulf News reported trade estimates of Rs 180 to 200 crore.
The Hollywood Reporter India reported a Hindi net opening of around Rs 60 crore, an all-language India net of Rs 70 to 75 crore, and a worldwide gross above Rs 150 crore. But Track Tollywood, writing on November 3, put the worldwide opening at Rs 130 to 140 crore and said the record was safe. Its key point: Dhurandhar 2 had paid preview shows in India, while Ramayana has no premieres in India.
So the honest range was Rs 130 crore to Rs 200 crore worldwide. Beating the Rs 131 crore ex-previews record looked likely. Beating the Rs 226.60 crore with-previews total looked out of reach on Day 1.
What Ramayana must do to pass Dhurandhar 2
The opening is only the first mark. The bigger one is the lifetime total. Sacnilk's all-time tracker puts Dhurandhar 2 at Rs 1,813.39 crore worldwide, with Rs 1,149.30 crore net in India, after a 100-day run. Ramayana would need a historic run of its own to come near it.
The budget makes the stakes higher. Producer Namit Malhotra has said the two parts are being made for about Rs 4,000 crore combined, and trade estimates say the first part alone would need well past Rs 2,000 crore gross worldwide to be a safe venture. That needs families to return and the film to hold through the Diwali weekend and beyond.
One record is already out of reach. Dhurandhar 2's Hindi Day 1 net of Rs 102.55 crore, including previews, is the biggest Hindi opening ever, and Ramayana's projected Hindi net of Rs 55 to 60 crore is far below it. The worldwide ex-previews record is the realistic prize. Ramayana's advantage is one Dhurandhar 2 never had: a U certificate, which Gulf News noted opens the film to family audiences the adults-only Dhurandhar could not reach.
Why the opening record is only half the fight
Openings are bought in advance. Lifetimes are earned by word of mouth. Dhurandhar 2 did not just open big. It held, with a record opening weekend and a run that stretched to 100 days. A big Day 1 for Ramayana means little if the film fades on Monday, and a modest Day 1 means little if Diwali crowds flood in over the weekend.
Trade analyst Sumit Kadel, quoted by Gulf News, expected the Hindi version to open at Rs 55 to 60 crore net, and said that if word of mouth turns strongly positive, the film could gather Rs 500 crore net or more within its first week. That is the real test: not the first day, but the first week. The early audience split, praise for Yash and the visuals against complaints about the runtime and the Ram-Sita emotion, will decide it.
So here is the honest scoreboard on Thursday afternoon. If Ramayana lands around Rs 150 to 155 crore worldwide on Day 1, it takes the ex-previews Bollywood opening record from Dhurandhar 2, and the fight moves to the lifetime total. If it lands near Rs 130 crore, the record stays with Dhurandhar 2, and the film will need a huge Diwali weekend to change the story.
Update, 4:03 PM IST: Sacnilk's live Day 1 estimate has climbed to Rs 32.81 crore net in India, with gross at Rs 38.72 crore, from 15,435 shows. Hindi leads with Rs 24.17 crore, followed by Kannada at Rs 3.91 crore, Telugu at Rs 2.98 crore, Tamil at Rs 1.11 crore, and Malayalam at Rs 64 lakh. No final Day 1 total exists yet. The final number arrives tonight.
What fans are saying on X
Trade analyst Ramesh Bala, speaking to News18 before release: "I expect Ramayana to mint around Rs 100-150 crore on day one in India (largely contributed by current bookings). North India will contribute a large percentage of its box office collections, with Karnataka following second." Link (News18 live blog quoting the analyst; this is a statement to News18, not an X post, and no post URL exists): https://www.news18.com/movies/bollywood/ramayana-movie-review-release-live-updates-ranbir-kapoor-yash-nitesh-tiwari-ramayana-rating-imdb-box-office-collection-day-1-public-review-reactions-liveblog-ws-kl-10413020.html
Exhibitor Vishek Chauhan, speaking to PTI as quoted by News18: "If a Rs 2 crore film on Neem Karoli Baba can do Rs 300-350 crore in India, then you are talking about the greatest religious tale ever told in this country. If it connects with the Hindu devotee base, Ramayana has the potential to do Rs 2,500 to 3,000 crore." Link (News18 live blog; this is a statement to PTI, not an X post, and no post URL exists): https://www.news18.com/movies/bollywood/ramayana-movie-review-release-live-updates-ranbir-kapoor-yash-nitesh-tiwari-ramayana-rating-imdb-box-office-collection-day-1-public-review-reactions-liveblog-ws-kl-10413020.html
Sources and reporting
- Pinkvilla — August 27, 2026 · Verifies Dhurandhar 2 at Rs 138 crore India gross on Day 1, second only to Pushpa 2
- Sacnilk — November 5, 2026 · Verifies Ramayana live Day 1 estimates at 1:03 pm IST, Rs 22.60 crore net India and Rs 26.67 crore gross, plus the 4:03 PM IST update of Rs 32.81 cr net and Rs 38.72 cr gross from 15,435 shows
- Movie Talkies — November 4, 2026 · Verifies Dhurandhar 2 at about Rs 131 crore worldwide ex-previews and Ramayana projected at Rs 150 to 155 crore worldwide
