Nitesh Tiwari’s mythological production Ramayana kicked off its theatrical run with a ₹64.85 crore nett domestic haul on Day 1. It fell short of the summit. While the star-studded epic commandeered 25,200 shows across India to notch the second-biggest opening of 2026, it finished ₹37.70 crore behind Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which posted a ₹102.55 crore bow earlier this year. But for Tiwari and his headline cast, the opening numbers signal immediate commercial power.
The film racked up an India gross collection of ₹77.50 crore on Friday. The Hindi circuit shouldered the heaviest load, yielding ₹47.50 crore nett across 20,678 shows. Southern territories chipped in meaningful numbers, bolstered by Kannada superstar Yash's appearance as Ravana. The Kannada dub added ₹7.25 crore, followed by ₹6 crore from Telugu screens, ₹2.60 crore in Tamil, and ₹1.50 crore from Kerala.
| Language Version | Day 1 Nett Collection (₹ Crore) |
|---|---|
| Hindi | 47.50 |
| Kannada | 7.25 |
| Telugu | 6.00 |
| Tamil | 2.60 |
| Malayalam | 1.50 |
| Total Domestic Nett | 64.85 |
Friday's receipts reset personal bests across the call sheet. Ranbir Kapoor, headlining as Lord Ram, eclipsed his previous opening benchmark of ₹63.80 crore set by Animal in 2023. Sai Pallavi—playing Sita—surpassed her career peak of ₹21.40 crore from Amaran. For Tiwari, the opening more than doubled the ₹29.78 crore first-day haul of his 2016 wrestling biopic Dangal, pushing Drishyam 3: The Conclusion down to third place on 2026's Hindi leaderboard. Yash registered his third-highest career opener, behind only KGF: Chapter 2 and Toxic.
The opening blitz followed weeks of aggressive advance ticket sales. Bookings unlocked on Dussehra, 15 days before release, after exhibitors and distributors resolved a standoff over theatrical revenue terms. The release machine then gathered swift momentum, selling over ₹120 crore in pre-sales across India and topping ₹200 crore globally before opening morning. The initial rush established a record opening for a pre-Diwali Hindi release window.
Now the production looks abroad. While Dhurandhar: The Revenge built an overseas-fortified worldwide day-one total of ₹236.63 crore with paid previews included, international tracking for Ramayana points to an initial foreign gross between ₹20 crore and ₹40 crore. That trajectory positions the film to cross the ₹100-crore worldwide mark within its first 24 hours as weekend walk-in crowds take over.