Advance ticket sales for Ramayana Part One have surged in the United States following the film’s Los Angeles premiere, with North American pre-sales jumping 27 per cent within 24 hours, from $631,000 to $800,000, for the scheduled paid previews on 4 November. The momentum caps a remarkable build-up for what is already the most anticipated Indian film of the year.
The international surge complements steady business at home. The film’s worldwide advance-booking gross has reached Rs 25 crore, with Indian pre-sales crossing Rs 15 crore and approximately 2.75 lakh tickets sold, exactly one week before its global release on 5 November. For a film still days from release, those numbers place it in rare company.
The Los Angeles premiere appears to have been the catalyst. Premieres of Indian films in Hollywood have become a deliberate strategy for reaching the diaspora audience, and the response to Ramayana’s first screening — from trade observers and audiences alike — has translated directly into ticket sales. The 27 per cent overnight jump in US collections is the clearest evidence yet that the film’s appeal extends well beyond India.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana Part One is structured as a two-part cinematic event, produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios and DNEG alongside Yash’s Monster Mind Creations. The cast features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, with Ravi Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman. The second instalment is expected during the Diwali season in 2027.
The film’s scale is part of the story. It is set for release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, with a confirmed worldwide IMAX release, and distribution split between Sony Pictures for the global rollout outside India and Dharma Productions for the Hindi-speaking market. Few Indian films have ever been mounted with this breadth of ambition.
The advance-booking numbers also reflect the appetite for mythological spectacle in Indian cinema. The Ramayana is the most retold story in the country’s cultural history, and a big-screen adaptation with this cast and budget was always going to draw attention. The question was whether anticipation would convert into advance sales — and the answer, so far, is emphatically yes.
Trade watchers will now look at the paid previews on 4 November as the next test. Strong preview collections in North America often signal a powerful opening weekend, and the film’s team will be hoping the LA buzz carries through to the global release the following day.
For the industry, Ramayana’s pre-release run is already a case study in event filmmaking: a beloved epic, a star cast, a global premiere strategy and a staggered two-part plan designed to keep audiences engaged for a year. Whether the film itself lives up to the build-up will be decided in cinemas from 5 November. The box office, at least, is already listening.
