A major standoff has arisen at the box office regarding the nationwide advance booking of director Nitish Tiwari's much-awaited film 'Ramayana: Part 1', one of the most grand and ambitious mythological films in the history of Indian cinema. Advance ticket sales of the film were to start on a large scale across the country on 20 October 2026, on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami i.e. Dussehra. However, a serious dispute has erupted over the revenue sharing model between distributors and cinema owners (exhibitors). Due to this dispute, the formal ticket booking window for multiplex chains and single screen theaters at the national level has not been opened on a large scale. As of Tuesday afternoon, bookings for limited shows could be taken live only in a handful of theaters across the country, while the remaining cinema owners remain stuck at the negotiating table against the new and aggressive commercial terms of the distributors.
According to the established financial rules of the film industry, generally the traditional share of distributors in the net earnings from the ticket window for any major Hindi film is fixed at 52.5 percent in the first week, 45 percent in the second week and 37.5 percent in the third week. The remaining amount goes to the cinema operators as their operating expenses and profits. According to an internal report by box office tracker Sacnilk, the distributors of 'Ramayana: Part 1' are demanding a bigger share in the ticket revenue, citing the film's huge budget and historical scale. The new proposal from the distributors is to give them a huge share of 60 percent directly in the first week, 50 percent in the second week and 40 percent in the third week. Multiplex and single screen exhibitors argue that most of the audience gathers in the initial days of the film, hence if 60 per cent share is taken by the distributors, it will create a huge risk for the cinema owners amidst high expenses of electricity, staff, maintenance and projection. Due to this reluctance, the nationwide booking process at major national cinema chains like PVR-Inox and Cinepolis has currently slowed down.
Even amidst this serious impasse and trade negotiations, advance booking of the film has been started in some selected independent theaters and single screens. According to initial reports from SACNL, Thane-based INOX Korum Mall and Bengaluru's famous AMB Cinemas Kapali are among the first select cinemas where ticket windows have been opened for the initial show on November 5. Film trade experts believe that the availability of tickets on limited screens does not indicate that bookings have been completely canceled across the country. Behind the scenes, continuous discussions are going on between the distributors and cinema associations on the outline of the agreement and as the financial consensus is reached between the two parties, the advance booking window will be fully opened in a phased manner in all the states and cities of the country in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Despite tickets being available in limited theaters, tremendous craze is being seen among the audience for this saga of Lord Shri Ram. According to the first day's advance data released by SACNILC, till 1:34 pm on October 20, within just a few hours, the film registered advance ticket sales of Rs 12.17 lakh on the basis of 44 limited shows in 10 theaters across seven cities of the country. This figure did not include block and reserved seats worth Rs 2.89 lakh. A total of 2,517 tickets were sold out in these 44 initial shows. If we look at the city-wise data, the fastest trend was seen in the cities of South India, where Bengaluru city alone topped the list with a total gross collection of Rs 9.02 lakh. After this, Mysuru registered advance ticket sales of Rs 1.44 lakh and Shivamogga city of Karnataka made its strong place in the top three by registering advance ticket sales of Rs 1 lakh. As soon as bookings open in multiplexes in North India, Mumbai and Delhi-NCR, there is every possibility of a historic jump in these figures.
Directed by National Award winning director Nitish Tiwari of Dangal fame and produced by Namit Malhotra of Prime Focus, the film 'Ramayana: Part 1' is considered to be the biggest cinematic project in the history of Indian cinema. In this grand film, Bollywood superstar Ranbir Kapoor will be seen in the central role of Maryada Purushottam Lord Shri Ram. Sai Pallavi, the epitome of simplicity and talent of South Indian cinema, is playing the pious character of Mother Sita, while KGF star Yash Lankapati will be seen in the powerful and terrifying role of Ravana. Apart from this, Bollywood's veteran action star Sunny Deol will be seen roaring on the screen in the divine form of Pawanputra Lord Hanuman. This epic film is all set to release simultaneously in multiple languages on 5th November 2026 in thousands of theaters across the world including India. The makers have made a long-term plan to release its second part i.e. 'Ramayana: Part 2' globally on the holy festival of Diwali 2027.