Ramayana's Record-Breaking Box Office Debut Lands Bollywood Epic On All-Time Chart

Published Nov 7, 2026, 11:45 AM EST Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is having a truly legendary box office debut. The new Bollywood movie, which was directed and co-written by Nitesh Tiwari, is the first installment of a two-part adaptation of the Hindu epic poem by Valmiki. 2026's Ramayana: Rise of a Legend stars Ranbir Kapoor as the Hindu deity Rama opposite Kannada cinema superstar Yash, who is making his Bollywood debut as the story's antagonist, Ravana. After premiering at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 7, the movie debuted in domestic theaters on November 5, shortly before Diwali, which takes place on November 8 this year. Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced that Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is projected to earn a 3-day gross of $7.3 million at the domestic box office by the end of its traditional 3-day opening weekend, with a cumulative 4-day Thursday-to-Sunday gross of $10.8 million. The movie played on 1,433 screens, which marks the widest release that has ever been given to an Indian movie in North America. While box office reports for Indian movies in North America are inconsistent, this $7.3 million total securely lands Ramayana: Rise of a Legend on the chart of the Top 10 highest-grossing domestic debuts in history for an Indian movie, and most likely lands it in the all-time Top 5 at No. 5, above the Shah Rukh Khan hit Pathaan, which debuted with $6.9 million. Below, see the current chart of the Top 10 highest-grossing domestic debuts for Indian movies (sourced from The Numbers and Box Office Mojo, erring on the side of the larger number in places where the two sources are inconsistent): Rank Title Domestic Debut Worldwide Box Office #1 Baahubali 2 - The Conclusion (2017) $10.4 million $263.5 million #2 Dhurandhar The Revenge (2026) $10 million $152.9 million #3 Pushpa 2 - The Rule (2024) $9.3 million $175.4 million #4 RRR (2022) $9.5 million $166.6 million #5 Ramayana: Rise of a Legend (2026) $7.3 million TBD #6 Pathaan (2023) $6.9 million $112.6 million #7 Jawan (2023) $6.1 million $136.7 million #8 Animal (2023) $6.5 million $92.8 million #9 Kalki 2898 AD (2024) $5.7 million $125.9 million #10 Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire (2023) $5.6 million $11.9 million Ramayana has also officially earned the highest-grossing domestic debut for Ranbir Kapoor, who starred in 2023's Animal. The movie's success comes in the wake of an increasing interest in Indian cinema in the United States and Canada, which was kickstarted by the smash hit RRR. The 2022 Telugu-language historical action epic was a smash hit, becoming the third highest-grossing Indian movie in history at the time and the first Indian feature to win an Oscar (for Best Original Song). This burgeoning interest is showcased by the fact that all but one other title on the chart - the enduring 2017 hit Baahubali 2 - The Conclusion - came out after RRR. However, Ramayana represents an increased push for Indian cinema to connect with North American audiences, given the movie's record-breaking number of theaters and heavy-duty promotional campaign, which included a panel at San Diego Comic-Con. This makes sense, because the movie reportedly cost ₹2,000 crore (roughly $210 million), making it the most expensive Indian film in history by far. The previous record-holder was Kalki 2898 AD, which only cost ₹600 crore. This price tag could place the movie's estimated break-even point as high as $525 million, which would necessitate an unprecedented worldwide gross in order to be a solid return on investment. It ultimately remains to be seen how high the new movie can climb worldwide by the end of its run. However, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend reviews have been quite strong, earning it 76% from critics and 89% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, which could indicate a strong word-of-mouth boom will follow this initial push. Enjoy ScreenRant's box office coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly box office newsletter (make sure to check "Box Office" in your preferences) and get exclusive analysis, predictions, and more: Sign Up Release Date November 6, 2026 Runtime 154 Minutes Director Nitesh Tiwari Writers Shridhar Raghavan Producers Yash, Namit Malhotra Cast Ramayana is the first part of an epic duology that brings the ancient Indian epic to the big screen. This film adaptation explores the legendary tale of Prince Rama, his quest to rescue his wife Sita, and the ensuing battle against the demon king Ravana.