Ramayana Crosses $2.85 Million Overseas as India Booking Deadlock Finally Ends

Ramayana: Part One has crossed $2.85 million in overseas advance sales for its opening weekend, according to trade tracking updated on October 30 — and it has done so with one of its biggest markets still to come. The Nitesh Tiwari epic, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, has been on sale overseas for more than two weeks, and around half of the total so far comes from opening day alone, including $875,000 from Wednesday previews in North America. Notably, the film is yet to go on sale in the Middle East, a major overseas territory for Indian cinema, so the current tally is a floor, not a ceiling.

The territorial split shows where demand sits. The United States leads with $1.8 million, closing in on $2 million for the weekend, followed by Canada at $350,000, Australia at $260,000, the United Kingdom at $165,000 and Germany at $110,000. North America accounts for close to three-quarters of the overseas total, helped by paid previews on November 4. For context, the film trails Dhurandhar: The Revenge by around 25% at the same stage, but sits roughly 80% ahead of Jawan once the Middle East is excluded — and in the US it is nearly 150% ahead of Jawan, beating Dhurandhar in California and Illinois while trailing in Texas and New Jersey, where the Telugu diaspora powered Dhurandhar. Australia and Canada report the second-best pre-sales ever for a Hindi film, behind only Dhurandhar.

The overseas strength is striking because the home market spent ten days half-closed. The dispute was never about whether the film would release, but how the first weeks of box office would be split: distributors reportedly offered either a 60/50/40 three-week slab or a flat 55% for the first 11 days before reverting to standard terms — both above what even the biggest Hindi releases usually settle for. Exhibitors, who carry the running costs and screen risk, pushed back. That deadlock is now reportedly over, with bookings opening where terms are finalised and the rest expected by 7 p.m. today; the final terms have not been spelt out, but the shorter 11-day option may have given both sides their middle path.

Even on limited availability, Indian advance sales have already crossed Rs 16 crore gross, with Hindi markets leading and IMAX shows standing out — while a large part of the single-screen and regional circuit, and the Tamil and Malayalam versions in large numbers, were simply not yet on sale. That is the real story behind today’s numbers: demand measured with the taps half-open. A film with a reported Rs 4,000 crore budget across two parts, buoyed by its second trailer and positive Los Angeles premiere reactions, has built this base before most of India could even buy a ticket.

What to watch next: whether the 7 p.m. rollout lands cleanly, how fast show counts and premium-format sales climb in the final week, and when the Middle East opens — the territory that could lift the film from its projected $20 million-plus overseas opening weekend toward $25 million, with Sony’s wider release into non-traditional markets adding upside. One honest caveat, flagged by the trade press: these are trade estimates from booking trends, not certified collections, so the opening will be judged on actuals. If the final week converts this pent-up demand, the deadlock may end as a footnote — and a warning about what a revenue-share fight costs in momentum. For more stories about the stars behind Indian cinema’s biggest moments, explore our Did You Know collection.