Ramayana Advance Booking: Ranbir Kapoor, Yash Starrer Nears Rs. 50 Crore; 11 Lakh Tickets Sold

Ramayana Advance Booking: Ramayana: Part 1 is nearing the Rs 50-crore mark in India advance bookings, with over 11 lakh tickets sold. However, while box office expectations soar, mixed reactions following its international premiere have sparked debate

Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part 1 is witnessing an impressive response at the Indian box office ahead of its November 5 release. Starring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, the mythological epic has generated Rs 45.96 crore in advance bookings across all dates currently on sale, according to Sacnilk. The figure includes blocked seats, while the collection stands at Rs 36.85 crore without them.

As of 6 am on November 2, the film had sold approximately 11.01 lakh tickets across 35,697 shows in 1,708 cinemas spread across 527 cities. Its advance booking occupancy stood at 14 per cent, including blocked seats. Around 75 shows were reported as housefull, with 13 completely sold out.

November 5, the film's opening day, is contributing the biggest share of its pre-release business. Thursday's advance bookings have reached Rs 25.39 crore, including blocked seats, and Rs 21.30 crore without them. This means the opening day alone accounts for more than half of the film's total domestic advance collection.

With three days still remaining before its theatrical debut, the film is steadily moving towards the Rs 50-crore advance booking milestone.

NCR tops city bookings as Hindi 3D and IMAX drive demand

The National Capital Region (NCR) has emerged as the biggest city market for Ramayana: Part 1, recording Rs 6.78 crore in advance bookings, including blocked seats. Mumbai follows closely with Rs 6.08 crore, while Bengaluru has contributed Rs 5.79 crore.

Hyderabad has recorded Rs 2.81 crore, followed by Pune at Rs 2.17 crore and Kolkata at Rs 1.68 crore.

At the state level, Maharashtra leads with Rs 9.42 crore, followed by Karnataka at Rs 7.15 crore and Delhi at Rs 6.78 crore. Gujarat has contributed Rs 3.61 crore, while Telangana stands at Rs 2.93 crore. The top 10 states together account for approximately 85 per cent of the film's domestic advance gross.

The Hindi version is dominating the pre-release business, contributing Rs 38.70 crore, or nearly 84 per cent of the total advance gross. Kannada bookings have reached Rs 4.41 crore, while Telugu has generated Rs 2.35 crore. Tamil and Malayalam versions have recorded Rs 41.66 lakh and Rs 8.01 lakh, respectively.

Premium screening formats are providing another boost. Hindi 3D screenings have generated Rs 21.57 crore in advance bookings, followed by Hindi 2D at Rs 8.75 crore and Hindi IMAX 3D at Rs 6.34 crore.

Interestingly, premium formats such as IMAX, 4DX, Dolby Cinema, ICE and EPIQ have collectively generated Rs 8.83 crore despite accounting for just two per cent of the available shows. Hindi 3D alone contributes 47 per cent of the film's overall advance gross.

The overseas market has also shown encouraging signs. According to an October 31 report, international advance bookings had reached approximately $3.5 million (around Rs 33.23 crore), with North America contributing more than $1 million in premiere pre-sales.

Ramayana receives mixed reactions after Los Angeles premiere

While its advance booking numbers have raised expectations, Ramayana: Part 1 has received mixed reactions following its international premiere at the Academy Museum's David Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles on October 27.

Several early viewers praised the film's ambitious scale, visual effects and performances. Yash's portrayal of Ravana and Ranbir Kapoor's interpretation of Lord Ram were among the aspects that attracted positive attention.

However, not all reactions were favourable. Some viewers raised concerns about the storytelling, pacing and musical elements. The lengthy action sequences, slower second half and occasional lack of emotional depth also featured among the criticisms.

International publications have offered varied assessments. While Screen Rant appreciated the film's technical ambition, IGN reportedly gave it a rating of 4/10, criticising aspects of its execution. IndieWire, meanwhile, awarded the film a B grade.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. Sunny Deol plays Hanuman, while Ravi Dubey portrays Lakshman. The supporting cast includes Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Indira Krishnan, Rakul Preet Singh, Kajal Aggarwal, Vivek Oberoi and Shobana.

Produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios in association with DNEG and Yash's Monster Mind Creations, the screenplay has been written by Shridhar Raghavan and Nitesh Tiwari. The music is composed by Oscar-winning musicians Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.

With its November 5 theatrical release approaching, Ramayana: Part 1 is entering a crucial phase. Its impressive advance bookings have created considerable box office expectations, but audience reactions after the film's wider release will ultimately determine whether the epic lives up to the hype.