Sony’s overseas bet on a two-part Indian epic is selling tickets worldwide, but the payback runs through a sequel now set for 2028.
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend needed about a week to do something no film from outside China had done this year. It crossed $100 million worldwide, Variety India reported on Nov. 12, the same morning the film appeared on The Vault’s Top 5 box office chart for the Nov. 6-8 weekend.
The opening set the pace. Sony, which handles the film’s theatrical release outside India, reported a $55.7 million worldwide debut, second only to Godzilla Minus Zero that weekend, Martin Cid Magazine reported. In North America it played 1,433 locations, the widest release ever for an Indian film, and took in $12.1 million over four days with previews, citing Deadline. Premium large-format screens delivered about 40% of that.
The bill is the catch. Producer Namit Malhotra has put the cost of both films at ₹4,000 crore, or about $420 million, including marketing, according to Wikipedia, citing the Times of India. Trade site Bollymoviereviewz estimates the first film needs ₹1,600 crore to ₹1,700 crore worldwide to break even. Its own tally had the film near ₹1,020 crore gross by Day 8. Those are estimates, not studio figures.
The upside is spread across a long list of owners. Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios produced with DNEG and actor Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, while Dharma handles the Hindi release in north India, according to Wikipedia. Exit polling from PostTrak, cited by Martin Cid, found 71% of North American moviegoers were Asian American. Sony, which holds the overseas theatrical rights, needs that audience to widen.
The rollout is not finished. Brazil and Italy open Nov. 19 and much of Latin America follows on Nov. 26, according to Variety India.
The real verdict waits for the sequel. Malhotra has moved Part 2 from Diwali 2027 to Diwali 2028, Martin Cid reported. That gives the first film two years to build the audience the second one needs to pay back the full $420 million bet.
Sources
- Variety India – ‘Ramayana’ Crosses $100 Million Worldwide, Becomes First International Film Outside China To Hit Milestone In 2026 – https://varietyindia.com/ramayana-crosses-100-million-worldwide-becomes-first-international-film-outside-china-to-hit-milestone-in-2026/
- Martin Cid Magazine – Ramayana opens No. 2 worldwide and tests whether Indian myth can sell beyond the diaspora – https://www.martincid.com/movies/ramayana-rise-of-a-legend-box-office-opening/
- Bollymoviereviewz – Ramayana Budget & Box Office Collection Worldwide Daywise – https://www.bollymoviereviewz.com/2026/11/ramayana-budget-box-office-collection-day-1-worldwide-daywise-part-1-rise-of-legend.html
- Wikipedia – Ramayana: Part 1 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana:_Part_1
Featured photo: Sonder Quest / Unsplash (Unsplash License). Illustrative stock image; it does not depict the people or events in this story.
Leave a Reply