Ramayana: Part One earned Rs. 234 crore nett in India over its four-day extended weekend. While Hindi collections fell due to Diwali, South Indian markets showed strong growth. The film got a boost in the South, and experts said, "The Hindi version has been held back, but today it shall explode."
Ramayana: Part One netted Rs. 55.50 crore nett approx at the Indian box office on its fourth day. There was a drop in the Hindi version, as yesterday was Diwali, while the South-dubbed versions recorded their best day since release, clearing the Rs. 20 crore nett mark. The four-day extended weekend has closed at Rs. 234 crore nett approx.
Over the weekend, the business in the Hindi circuits was subdued, hit severely by the Pre-Diwali period. As Ramayana is a Hindu devotional epic, the festive slowdown impacted it more severely than a regular commercial release. Sunday proved to be the toughest day, with several cinemas operating only half-day shows, while many remained shut altogether because of Diwali. That ends today, as the target audiences are out of Diwali festivities now, and they will be coming out to cinemas in a big way. The Hindi version has been held back for the last four days, but today it shall explode. This is evident in pre-sales, as most Northern circuits have pre-sales 4-5 times Sunday and around double its opening day. The film should be getting into record territory in these places today, which it dearly needs to.
In contrast, the film has delivered an outstanding performance across South India. The dubbed versions have posted record-breaking numbers for a Bollywood release, although some of that business has come at the expense of the Hindi version. Combined, South India contributed Rs. 96 crore nett over the four-day weekend, with the Hindi version accounting for Rs. 27 crore nett of that total. This excludes the Marathwada region of the Nizam territory.
Karnataka led the way and finished the extended weekend with a phenomenal Rs. 43 crore nett. However, over the weekend, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have come up with an outstanding trend, particularly Kerala. Both these states were operating at capacity on Saturday and Sunday. This should mean a strong spillover demand on the weekdays, and the film should build amazing legs in the days and weeks to come. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu should see a Diwali boost for a couple more days. The dubbed versions shall hit Rs. 100 crore nett mark tomorrow, and from there, whether it can go on and hit Rs. 200 crore nett needs to be seen.
Having said that, the big story from today onwards is going to be the Hindi business.
The Day Wise Box Office Collections of Ramayana: Part One in India are as follows:
NOTE: The above numbers are inclusive of 3D charges. The norm in the past has been to exclude 3D charges, but things have changed gradually over the last couple of years, and now the norm is probably going to change. To do that, what better film than Ramayana? Read more about 3D charges reporting here.