Ramayana Tops UK and Ireland Box Office With £2.15 Million Opening

A new high for Indian cinema

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend has become the first Indian feature to open at number one at the UK and Ireland box office, earning £2,148,158 in its opening weekend, according to Comscore figures published by the Film Distributors' Association.

Sony Pictures' mythological adventure finished ahead of Disney's Wild Horse Nine, which opened with £1,477,229, and Anime Ltd.'s Godzilla Minus Zero, which collected £1,391,128. Ramayana's lead over its closest rival was £670,929, or about 45% of Wild Horse Nine's opening receipts.

The association's current box office table, labelled November 11, 2026, supplies the most precise local figures. Its results put an Indian production at the head of a competitive weekend that also included concert screenings, a biographical drama and established horror releases.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi, Ramayana also launched on an unusually large international scale. The studio reported $55.7 million worldwide and more than 11 million tickets sold, with distribution across more than 130 countries, over 10,000 screens and 17 dubbed languages.

Four earlier hits had reached second place

Indian cinema's previous best opening position in the UK and Ireland was second. S.S. Rajamouli's RRR reached that position in 2022, followed by the Shah Rukh Khan films Pathaan and Jawan in 2023. Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar: The Revenge matched them earlier in 2026.

Ramayana has now moved beyond that shared ranking. Its next financial benchmark is the £4.5 million earned across the full theatrical run of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the territory's highest grossing Indian film.

At £2,148,158, Ramayana's opening represents approximately 48% of that £4.5 million total. It would need roughly another £2.35 million to pass it. The immediate achievement is first place on the weekend chart; the lifetime record will depend on ticket sales during the rest of its run.

A worldwide opening built on India and North America

India supplied $32 million of Ramayana's studio reported $55.7 million global launch, while cinemas in the United States and Canada contributed $12.2 million. Another group of 37 international markets generated $11.5 million.

Those figures put India's share at about 57% and the combined contribution outside India at about 43%. The film therefore arrived with substantial business both at home and abroad, rather than relying on one market to carry its launch.

In North America, the $12.2 million opening was the second largest for an Indian film, behind Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which opened with $14 million in March. Other prominent markets included the United Arab Emirates at $2.2 million and Australia at $1.9 million.

Germany contributed $625,000, Thailand $550,000, Nepal $500,000, the Netherlands $240,000 and South Africa $75,000. The studio described the launch as a record opening during the Diwali holiday for an Indian production.

Ramayana was presented by Sony Pictures and Prime Focus Studios in association with Monster Mind Creations and DNEG. Its release in 17 dubbed languages meant audiences in different markets could hear translated dialogue rather than depend entirely on subtitles.

Godzilla leads worldwide while Ramayana wins locally

Godzilla Minus Zero finished third in the UK and Ireland, yet led Ramayana in worldwide revenue. Toho and director Takashi Yamazaki's monster sequel opened with $63 million globally, comprising $31.6 million from North America and $31.4 million from other territories.

Ramayana's studio reported ticket sales of more than 11 million made it the weekend's most watched film worldwide. Box office revenue measures money collected, while attendance counts admissions. Ticket prices vary between countries and between ordinary auditoriums and more expensive formats, so the two measures can produce different leaders.

Imax was a major contributor to both releases. Godzilla Minus Zero earned $21.3 million through the format, approximately 34% of its worldwide opening. Ramayana collected $6 million, or about 11% of its global total, setting a reported record for an Indian film's worldwide Imax launch.

Ramayana's Imax receipts included $2 million in India and $2.5 million from 53 screens in North America. Godzilla's Imax business included $12.7 million in North America and $8.6 million internationally, with Japan contributing $4 million.

Rich Gelfond, chief executive of Imax, praised Yamazaki and Toho and described Godzilla Minus Zero's place in the company's Japanese release programme:

With 'Godzilla Minus Zero,' Takashi Yamazaki and our friends at Toho have delivered a tremendous feat of filmmaking with arresting visuals that somehow top its predecessor; we are proud to call this the first Filmed For Imax release from Japan and delighted fans are overwhelmingly choosing to experience it in on our screens,

What the local figures say

The Film Distributors' Association lists Ramayana's opening weekend and cumulative receipts at the same £2,148,158. Another opening estimate put the film at £1.7 million from 364 cinemas, rising to £2.2 million when previews were included. The published figures leave the precise treatment of preview screenings unresolved.

The most substantial discrepancy elsewhere in the chart concerns George Michael: The Faith Tour. The association lists £102,344, while the initial account put its opening at $1.3 million. The official table places the concert film fifth despite listing several films below it with larger weekend receipts.

For the other leading titles, the association's figures provide a consistent sterling account of the weekend. Wicker earned £1,127,892 in fourth place, taking its total to £4,311,180. Primetime collected £843,456 in sixth, reaching £3,480,144 after two weekends.

The worldwide breakdown put Ramayana's UK opening at approximately $3 million. Sterling is the clearest basis for comparing films within the UK and Ireland chart, while the dollar figures allow comparison across international markets.

Returning films and concert screenings share the chart

Wicker, Black Bear's period comedy, had led the previous weekend before dropping to fourth in its second frame. A24's Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim and starring Robert Pattinson, was also in its second weekend.

Two films in their third week retained larger cumulative totals than the new leader. Lionsgate UK's Ghosts: The Possession of Button House added £747,374, bringing its total to £7,776,437. Warner Bros.' Clayface collected £683,058 and reached £6,075,307.

Entertainment Film Distributors' I Play Rocky, a biographical drama starring Anthony Ippolito, opened ninth with £607,741. Trafalgar Releasing's Stray Kids World Tour 'Run It' Live Viewing completed the top 10 with £594,832, alongside a worldwide opening of $13.9 million.

Concert presentations gave audiences two very different musical choices: George Michael's Faith Tour and a live viewing event featuring South Korean group Stray Kids. Their presence also shows how cinema schedules now combine conventional film releases with performances screened for a concentrated period.

Outside the top 10, Altitude's Cannes winner La Bola Negra opened in 11th place with £536,474. The official table continued with Wildwood at £417,312, Forgotten Island at £318,317, Scene at £301,807 and Street Fighter at £163,653.

Mubi's Fatherland, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and starring Sandra Huller, ranked 24th in its third weekend. Its reported dollar receipts were $74,401 for the weekend and $997,741 cumulatively.

More international openings follow in November

Ramayana's release continues beyond its initial launch, with further openings scheduled throughout November. Those dates create fresh opportunities for ticket sales while audiences in the first markets decide whether the film can sustain its opening momentum.

The announced international schedule is:

• November 11: Indonesia.
• November 12: Hong Kong, Mexico and Central Asia.
• November 19: Brazil, Italy, Ukraine and Hungary.
• November 20: Poland.
• November 26: Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Czechia and Central America.

The rollout extends the film's commercial calendar across several weeks. Later worldwide totals will combine earnings from new territories with continued business in India, North America, the UK and Ireland, and the other markets already showing it.

A crowded week ahead for UK and Irish cinemas

Ramayana faces a varied programme of incoming releases. The announced schedule begins on Tuesday with Trafalgar Releasing's live cinema broadcast of the Royal Ballet and Opera production Carmen. Dreamz Entertainment follows on Thursday with the Indian title Vidudala.

Friday's major arrival is Prima Facie, a legal drama directed by Susanna White and starring Cynthia Erivo, Daniel Ings, Toheeb Jimoh and Noma Dumezweni. It is scheduled to reach more than 300 locations.

Other Friday releases include Sony's How To Rob A Bank, Paramount's holiday drama Ebenezer, Apple Original Films' biographical drama Being Heumann, Picturehouse Entertainment's Cannes winner Fjord and Dartmouth Films' nature documentary Whispers In The Woods.

Netflix's wartime football drama The Mosquito Bowl, directed by Peter Berg and starring Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgard, joins a broader specialist programme. That includes Dreamz Entertainment's Mega158 and Kaaka, Kunsang Kyirong's 100 Sunset, David Nicholas Wilkinson's documentary 1 In 2, the sports feature Give Me The Ball! and A Fox Under a Pink Moon.

Restored films also return to cinemas. Park Circus is releasing a restoration in 4K of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette for its 20th anniversary, with Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman and Steve Coogan. Studiocanal is marking the 50th anniversary of Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell To Earth, starring David Bowie, with another restoration in 4K.

Saturday brings Dreamz Entertainment's Indian release George Krish, Trafalgar Releasing's Festive Fun With Peppa and Piece Of Magic Entertainment's live cinema presentation of the League of Legends Worlds 26 finals. Ramayana's second weekend will therefore compete with new dramas, more Indian films, family events, restored classics and a major esports screening.

A record opening within a larger investment

Ramayana carries a reported production budget of $420 million across two parts, with Part 2 scheduled for October 2028. The scale of that investment gives its opening performance a wider commercial context: this is the start of a project whose release calendar stretches over two years.

The first film's $55.7 million global launch is a ticket revenue figure. Cinemas retain part of that revenue, and distribution and marketing carry their own costs. Assessing the project's financial return will require its continuing theatrical earnings and income from other rights.

For the immediate UK and Ireland story, the next measurable target is straightforward. Ramayana has taken first place on opening weekend and earned nearly half the £4.5 million lifetime benchmark set by Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Its coming weekends will determine how much further it climbs.

Key Points

• Ramayana: Rise of a Legend became the first Indian feature to debut at number one in the UK and Ireland.
• The Film Distributors' Association lists its opening at £2,148,158, ahead of Wild Horse Nine and Godzilla Minus Zero.
• The studio reported $55.7 million worldwide and more than 11 million tickets sold.
• Godzilla Minus Zero led worldwide revenue with $63 million, including $21.3 million from Imax.
• Ramayana's next local benchmark is Dhurandhar: The Revenge's £4.5 million lifetime total.
• Further international openings are scheduled through November 26, and Part 2 is slated for October 2028.