With four days remaining for its worldwide theatrical release, Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana: Part 1’ has registered an advance booking gross of Rs 23.87 crore for its opening day across India. The mythological epic has sold 5.42 lakh tickets across 13,165 shows, recording an overall occupancy of 18 per cent as of 5 pm on Sunday (November 1), according to industry tracker Sacnilk.After excluding blocked seats, the film’s Day 1 advance collections stand at Rs 20.04 crore, with 4.50 lakh tickets sold and an occupancy of 15 per cent. It has also recorded 42 houseful shows so far. Maharashtra leads the state-wise collections with Rs 4.58 crore (Rs 3.66 crore excluding blocked seats), followed by Karnataka at Rs 4.36 crore (Rs 3.95 crore) and Delhi at Rs 3.58 crore (Rs 2.96 crore).The film has also witnessed a notable response in premium viewing formats, including IMAX, 4DX and Dolby Cinema. These formats have collectively generated Rs 4.74 crore, including blocked seats, from just 360 shows. This accounts for approximately 23 per cent of the film’s total advance booking collections.Taking the first two days into account, for which advance booking figures are currently available, ‘Ramayana’ has accumulated Rs 36.65 crore (Rs 29.79 crore excluding blocked seats). The film has sold 8.38 lakh tickets across 24,510 shows, with an overall occupancy of 15 per cent. Day 2 pre-sales alone have contributed Rs 12.78 crore, which comes down to Rs 9.75 crore after excluding blocked seats.The film has also made considerable progress in the overseas market. According to reports, its North American premiere pre-sales have crossed the $1 million mark, while advance bookings across all available dates overseas have reached $3.5 million. The film is reportedly expected to collect more than $20 million internationally during its opening weekend.Despite the strong response, ‘Ramayana’ is currently trailing behind Yash’s ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups’ in terms of opening-day advance bookings. The gangster drama had recorded Rs 73.43 crore in Day 1 advance gross, including blocked seats, before its release. It sold 18,48,067 tickets across 25,654 shows, with collections standing at Rs 58.27 crore after excluding blocked seats.In ‘Ramayana’, Ranbir Kapoor essays the role of Rama, while Sai Pallavi plays Sita and Yash portrays Ravana. Ravie Dubey appears as Lakshmana, with Sunny Deol playing Hanuman. Produced by Namit Malhotra, the film features music composed by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.The first instalment of the planned two-part franchise is scheduled to arrive in theatres worldwide on November 5. The ambitious project is reportedly being made on a combined budget of Rs 4,000 crore.
