'Ramayana' opens to $8.9 million in widest Indian release ever
"Ramayana: Rise of a Legend" took $8.94 million in its first weekend in North America from 1,433 theaters, final figures show, the widest release ever for an Indian film there. That moved it up to No. 4 from the No. 5 spot in Sunday's estimates.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
Nitesh Tiwari's Hindi-language epic "Ramayana: Rise of a Legend" took $8,939,505 in North America over its first Friday-to-Sunday weekend from 1,433 theaters, according to final figures from The Numbers and Box Office Mojo. That ranked No. 4 for the weekend. Sunday's studio estimate had been $8.65 million, at No. 5. Including previews, its four-day total was $12,445,187, The Numbers shows.
Why it matters
Together with "Godzilla Minus Zero," which set a record for a live-action foreign-language opening, it made for a weekend led by non-English films. Overall ticket sales were up 96.8% from Halloween weekend, AP reported, citing Rentrak.
More context
What changed with the final numbers: The $8.94 million is about $290,000, or 3.3%, above Sunday's estimate. It edged the holdover "You Can See Everything," at $8.44 million, for fourth place, The Numbers chart shows.
A record and a near-record: It is the widest North American release ever for an Indian film. Its four-day start is the second-biggest for an Indian film in North America, behind "Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge" at $14 million in March, according to Deadline.
Worldwide: Sunday estimates put its global start at about $55.7 million, No. 2 for the weekend, Deadline reported. Box Office Mojo currently lists $52.4 million worldwide, including $43.5 million from outside North America. It took $32 million in India, AP reported.
The film: Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi star, and Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman wrote the score. It is part one of two and the most expensive Indian film ever made, AP reported, with an estimated combined budget of $420 million to $500 million for both parts. Sony Pictures distributed it in North America.
Who showed up: PostTrak exit polls gave it 86% in the top two boxes. The audience was 71% Asian American and 61% male, and premium large-format and IMAX screens drove 40% of the gross, Deadline reported.
What's still unknown: How well it holds in its second weekend, and when part two will open; these reports gave no date.
4 listed sources
- The Numbers, Weekend Domestic Box Office Chart for November 6, 2026 (final figures), accessed Nov. 10, 2026
- ComingSoon (citing Deadline), Sony's Ramayana Opens No. 2 at Worldwide Box Office, but Only No. 5 Domestically, Nov. 8, 2026
- AP (via NBC News), 'Godzilla Minus Zero' stomps to a record-setting $31.6 debut, Nov. 9, 2026
- Box Office Mojo, Ramayana: Rise of A Legend (domestic weekend and worldwide grosses), accessed Nov. 10, 2026
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Updated Nov. 10 with Monday's final weekend figures from The Numbers and Box Office Mojo, which replace Sunday's studio estimates. Record claims, audience data and the four-day comparison are from Deadline (via ComingSoon). India grosses, budget and the overall weekend comparison are from AP.
Like US Brief? You can support it with a tip.