Ramayana advance booking: Ranbir Kapoor, Yash starrer sells 4 lakh tickets in India, overseas pre-sales near $3 million

With the countdown to Diwali underway, Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana is already making its presence felt at the box office. The ambitious adaptation of the Indian epic, featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama and Yash as Ravana, is drawing audiences well before its theatrical release. From a strong showing in Karnataka, fuelled by Yash's enormous fan following, to impressive overseas pre-sales following its Los Angeles premiere, the film is building momentum across markets. With exhibitors adding more shows and advance bookings climbing steadily, the numbers suggest that Ramayana could be among the biggest cinematic events of the festive season. But what do the ticket sales reveal about audience interest, and which markets are leading the charge?

Ramayana Advance Booking: India Ticket Sales Cross 4 Lakh

According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Ramayana has sold approximately 4 lakh tickets across 9,050 shows in India as of Saturday morning, five days before its scheduled release. The film's advance booking gross has crossed Rs 19.59 crore, while collections excluding blocked seats stand at Rs 16.29 crore.

The film's overall occupancy is currently 19 per cent, falling to 16 per cent when blocked seats are excluded. Its show count has also expanded significantly, rising from 6,780 to 9,050, an increase of more than 33 per cent. The growing number of screenings reflects exhibitors' efforts to accommodate demand ahead of the Diwali release.

Ramayana Overseas Advance Booking Nears $3 Million

International markets are also contributing to the film's growing box office momentum. Following its world premiere at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on Wednesday, overseas advance sales for the opening weekend have approached $3 million.

Current pre-sales stand at approximately $2.85 million, including $2.15 million from North America. Bookings in the Middle East have yet to open. Trade estimates suggest the film could earn around $20 million over its opening weekend internationally.

Ramayana Advance Booking: Hindi Version Leads Ticket Sales

The Hindi version remains the biggest contributor to the film's domestic advance collections, accounting for Rs 16.26 crore, or 83 per cent of the total gross. The Kannada version has collected Rs 2.55 crore, contributing 13 per cent.

Yash's casting as Ravana has given the film an additional pull in Karnataka, where his popularity following the KGF franchise has translated into substantial advance sales. The Kannada-language bookings are notably strong for a Hindi film, highlighting the appeal of the actor beyond his home industry.

Karnataka is currently the highest-grossing state in advance bookings, with collections of Rs 3.88 crore, including Rs 3.48 crore excluding blocked seats. It accounts for approximately 20 per cent of the film's domestic advance gross.

Maharashtra is close behind with Rs 3.85 crore, or Rs 3 crore excluding blocked seats. Delhi ranks third, with Rs 3.25 crore in advance collections, falling to Rs 2.65 crore after blocked seats are excluded. The city-wise figures reveal some interesting differences in audience demand. The National Capital Region leads in advance collections, earning Rs 3.25 crore from 44,777 tickets across 1,324 shows. Occupancy stands at 18 per cent, dropping to 14 per cent excluding blocked seats.

Bengaluru has collected Rs 3.11 crore from 53,117 tickets across 485 shows. Its occupancy of 34 per cent, or 30 per cent excluding blocked seats, is considerably higher than the NCR's, reflecting strong local interest. Mumbai has recorded Rs 2.47 crore from 35,660 tickets across 1,038 shows, with occupancy at 15 per cent, or 11 per cent excluding blocked seats.

Ramayana Advance Booking: Hyderabad Records Highest Occupancy

Hyderabad stands out despite having fewer screenings. The city has collected Rs 97.59 lakh, including Rs 92.05 lakh excluding blocked seats, from 29,488 tickets across just 116 shows. Its occupancy has reached 71 per cent, falling to 67 per cent excluding blocked seats, the highest among the major markets tracked. The city has already recorded 16 housefull shows, suggesting that demand is concentrated around the available screenings.

Ramayana World Premiere: Ranbir Kapoor And Yash Draw Praise

The film's world premiere at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on Wednesday generated encouraging reactions from viewers and early reviewers. Nitesh Tiwari's visual ambition, the action sequences and the performances were among the aspects that attracted praise.

Ranbir Kapoor's portrayal of Rama reportedly moved some viewers to tears, while Yash's performance as Ravana emerged as another talking point. Some viewers compared the film's scale and cinematic experience to The Lord of the Rings.

However, the early response has not been entirely unanimous. Some viewers felt that the film's grand spectacle occasionally overshadowed its emotional storytelling, making the balance between visual scale and narrative depth a key talking point.

Ramayana Movie Cast, Director And Release Date

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is the first instalment of a two-part adaptation of the Indian epic, directed by Nitesh Tiwari. The film features Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravi Dubey as Lakshmana.

The project is co-produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios, in collaboration with DNEG and Yash's Monster Mind Creations. Its music brings together Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman. The film is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on November 5, coinciding with Diwali. The second instalment, initially planned for Diwali 2027, has been pushed to Diwali 2028.

With domestic ticket sales climbing, overseas pre-sales approaching $3 million and exhibitors expanding the number of shows, Ramayana is heading towards a high-profile festive opening. The coming days will reveal whether the film can convert its impressive advance bookings into the box office numbers expected of one of the year's most ambitious Indian productions.