Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana Opens With ₹14.24 Crore as Animal Retains Top Day 1 Record

The mythological tentpole has arrived. Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 1 stepped into domestic theatres on November 5, locking in an early first-day collection of ₹14.24 crore nett across Indian screens. That initial footprint lands the ambitious production squarely inside Ranbir Kapoor’s historical box-office tally, though it faces an uphill climb to challenge the blood-soaked frenzy that defined his career peak.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal still rules supreme. Released with deafening momentum in late 2023, the revenge actioner collected ₹63.80 crore nett on its opening day—a record that remains miles ahead of every other release in Kapoor's portfolio. By contrast, Tiwari's epic currently tracks shoulder-to-shoulder with the actor's mid-tier launches like Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, which pulled ₹15.73 crore on day one, and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which debuted at ₹13.30 crore.

The Box-Office Pecking Order

A glance across Kapoor's top theatrical launches shows a sharp drop below the apex. Ayan Mukerji’s fantasy outing Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva holds second place with a ₹36 crore nett premiere, flanked closely by Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic Sanju at ₹34.75 crore. Even the widely panned 2013 outing Besharam delivered out of the gate with ₹21.56 crore, outpacing romantic favourite Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani at ₹19.45 crore.

Pre-Sale Footprint Across National Chains

Multiplex turnstiles tell their own story. Prior to Thursday's opening show, Ramayana: Part 1 registered 3.25 lakh advance bookings across major national cinema chains. That total pushed the adaptation into the 12th spot on Bollywood’s all-time national chain pre-sales list—just trailing Dhoom 3 at 3.32 lakh tickets and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo at 3.40 lakh.

Yet the summit sits in another orbit entirely. Dhurandhar 2 leads the all-time multiplex charts with 8.75 lakh pre-sales including previews, followed by Shah Rukh Khan's twin 2023 juggernauts, Pathaan at 5.45 lakh and Jawan at 5.32 lakh. Horror-comedy Stree 2 stands fourth with 4.40 lakh bookings, while Animal locked down fifth with 4.28 lakh. Whether evening walk-ins and weekend family crowds can push Tiwari’s production past its opening-day inertia will decide the epic's long-term commercial legacy.