Mounted on a record-breaking budget of Rs 1,600 crore, Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana Part 1 hit global theaters with an unprecedented 59,000-screen release.
Courtesy of a massive international distribution arrangement with Sony Pictures, the film secured 50,000 overseas screens alongside 9,000 screens across India. Yet, despite positive critical reception, the magnum opus fell short of defeating the opening-day domestic benchmark set by 2023’s Adipurush.
Ramayana Part 1 opened to a domestic net collection of ₹64.85 crore—propped up largely by a ₹47-crore day in its Hindi belt—registering 25 lakh footfalls nationwide. In contrast, Adipurush had netted ₹86.75 crore domestically on day one, drawing 55 lakh footfalls.
The key differentiator lay in Telugu market dynamics; while Adipurush leveraged a massive ₹48-crore opening in Telugu states fueled by Prabhas’ strong fandom, Ramayana saw more muted regional traction.
Internationally, Ramayana grossed $5.3 million on day one. While beating Adipurush’s $3 million overseas opening, the tally remained on par with standard Indian tentpoles despite operating on nearly fifteen times the screen count. Ultimately, misfired initial marketing and lower regional footfalls prevented Ramayana from fully converting its unprecedented physical footprint into historic day-one numbers.