Mumbai, Nov 4 (PTI) With its epic scale, star-studded cast and story rooted in India’s cultural consciousness, “Ramayana” is expected to bring in Rs 75-100 crore on its opening day across languages with experts projecting lifetime collections of Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore if it resonates with audiences.
The grand cinematic adaptation of one of the most enduring epics in India will make its debut in theatres on Thursday. It stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita and Yash as Ravana.
Prominent film exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said “Ramayana” cannot be judged by conventional film review standards because a section of the audience will approach it through devotion and reverence.
“You cannot call “Ramayana” a classic film like ‘Dhurandhar’, ‘Border’ or ‘Baahubali’, this is a different genre of filmmaking. This is about religion, it is faith-based cinema.
“It is about the biggest deity in this country, Lord Ram… a huge audience will watch it as a piece of faith. If that faith connects, then there’s no stopping for this film. It is a review and critic-proof film (in that sense),” the exhibitor told PTI.
Chauhan, who is the owner of Roopbani Cinema in Bihar’s Purnia, cited the success of recent faith-centric films like “Hanuman Ansh”, “Karuppu”, and “Irumudi”, to highlight how religious sentiment can lead to unusual theatrical turnout.
“If a Rs 2-crore film on Neem Karoli Baba can do Rs 300-350 crore in India, then you are talking about the greatest religious tale ever told in this country. If it connects with the Hindu devotee base, ‘Ramayana’ has the potential to do Rs 2,500 to 3,000 crore,” he said.
Veteran distributor and exhibitor Raj Bansal said “Ramayana” could surpass the box-office collections of “Dhurandhar” franchise, which reportedly stands at over Rs. 3,000 crore.
“‘Ramayana’ can become India’s biggest cinematic film. Most importantly, Diwali is celebrated because of Lord Rama and here we’re coming up with a film on him,” Bansal, who is the director of the Entertainment Paradise, a multiplex in Jaipur, told PTI.
Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said the film has the potential to set new box-office benchmarks, given its cast, technical brilliance and its scale.
“‘Ramayana’ is a story that resonates with every Indian, we all have grown up listening to this story and have deep emotional connection to it… If the storytelling finds resonance, then it will break every glass ceiling and set a new benchmark,” Rathi, who owns multiple cinema theatres across central and western Indian markets operating across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, told PTI.
Sameer Munshi, chief operating officer of Miraj Entertainment Ltd, believes the Rs 1,000 crore milestone is within the film’s reach, and said it can open at Rs 75-80 crore nett or Rs 100 crore (gross) across languages in India.
“‘Ramayana’ is a story that belongs to every Indian household, and it has the potential to be one of the biggest theatrical successes in Indian cinema. We expect the opening weekend through Diwali to be on par with, or ahead of, the biggest openers we have seen. This is also a film that will keep growing over weeks as families and repeat audiences come in through the festive and holiday season,” Munshi told PTI.
Ashish Misra, head of commercialisation at Cinépolis India, said the chain had sold more than one lakh tickets for the film and planned over 1,600 shows on opening day.
He cautioned against judging the film’s prospects solely through its first-day collections as its release coincides with Dhanteras and Diwali celebrations.
“One thing to keep in mind is the calendar. Friday is Dhanteras, Saturday is Choti Diwali and Sunday is Diwali, so until Sunday we could see some impact on collections from the festival celebrations, with families at home for the puja or out with relatives, especially for the evening shows. Monday is when the week properly begins,” Misra told PTI.
According to Munshi, demand at Miraj cinemas is particularly strong in Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, while Tier-2 markets are tracking ahead of expectations.
The company plans to screen the film across 225 screens, with 960 shows a day, offering it in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil.
“There is no blanket price hike, especially in the Southern states. Most screens are at regular festive rates, and in Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns we are keeping pricing family-friendly. We’ve also created special festive food and beverage offerings to make the outing memorable,” Munshi said.
Rathi pointed out that advance bookings were showing greater traction in premium formats such as IMAX and 3D.
“While IMAX tickets are priced at Rs 3,000 and above or a little less, the average ticket price is lower, it is starting from Rs. 200, which is reasonable price for a Diwali bonanza of this scale and ambition. Also, the pricing will be different in different cities,” he said.
The film’s prospects in the southern markets, however, appear measured due to the release of regional films like Suriya’s “Scene” and Nayanthara’s “Mookuthi Amman 2”.
Chennai-based trade expert Ramesh Bala said the buzz for “Ramayana” is stronger in Karnataka, where Yash enjoys popularity, while Pallavi’s presence could attract audiences in other southern states.
He expects “Ramayana” to earn around Rs 30 to 40 crore from the South market, and said the film relies heavily on word of mouth.
“The curiosity is more about the two South films and there’s moderate buzz in the South about ‘Ramayana’. It is not like other Pan-Indian movies. Films like ‘Pushpa 2’, ‘KGF 2’, and ‘RRR’ etc are mass action entertainers, while ‘Ramayana’ is a mythological film, and it is difficult to match the buzz with these movies,” Bala told PTI.
Rakesh Gothwaman of Chennai’s Vettri theatres said audiences in the South often decide whether to watch films from other industries based on the response they receive.
“Since, ‘Ramayana’ is releasing one day before the two South language films, we will release it in both Hindi and South languages and then from Friday, ‘Ramayana’ will have its own space, not as big as ‘Scene’ and ‘Mookuthi Amman 2’,” Gothwaman told PTI.
The film’s long-term box office trajectory will depend on whether it can draw devotees of Lord Ram into theaters or not, according to Chauhan.
“It has only two possible outcomes: hit or miss, there is no in between. Either it will take a huge start and tank or it will keep running till ‘Avengers’ comes,” Chauhan added.
The film features music by A R Rahman and Hans Zimmer, with visual effects by Oscar-winning company DNEG. It is directed by Nitesh Tiwari of “Dangal” and “Chhichhore” fame and produced by Namit Malhotra and Yash. PTI KKP BK RB
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