Ramayana storms past Rs 370 crore worldwide as day three outgrosses its opening day

Ramayana: Part One collected about Rs 375 crore worldwide in its first three days, trade tracker Sacnilk reported, after its biggest single day so far on Saturday.

The film took Rs 69.80 crore net in India on day three, Saturday, November 7, up 45.3 percent on day two and ahead of its Rs 64.85 crore opening day. Sacnilk puts the three-day worldwide total at Rs 375.50 crore, made up of Rs 218.25 crore gross in India and Rs 157.25 crore overseas. Overseas collections crossed $10 million in the first two days, led by North America at $5.5 million.

The film, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor, opened in cinemas on November 5 for Diwali and is the first of two planned parts. It is the biggest Indian production of the season, and its opening weekend is the measure the industry will use to judge whether the two-part epic pays off.

The figures are trade estimates, not numbers confirmed by the producers, and they vary by tracker. Sacnilk puts the three-day worldwide total at Rs 375.50 crore, Bollywood Hungama at Rs 370.97 crore and BoxOfficeIndia24 at Rs 344.50 crore, so the range, not one exact figure, is the fact. The direction of travel is corroborated across trackers: day three was the biggest day so far, and it outgrossed the opening day.

For Indian cinema, the question now is whether the film holds through its first full week after a Diwali opening that beat its own first day. Sunday's collections, due on Monday, will show whether the Saturday jump was the festival weekend or the start of a longer run, and the industry will be watching the second part's schedule once the first part's final tally is in.