Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana advance booking opens at national chains, single screens wait
Representative image: sabinevanerp / Pixabay
Advance booking for Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana opened at national cinema chains on October 20, 2026, with tens of thousands of tickets sold, while a revenue-share row delays single screens.
What Happened
Advance booking for Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana: Part 1 opened at national cinema chains in India on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the day of Dussehra, about two weeks before the film's release on November 5. Trade trackers reported tens of thousands of opening-day tickets sold at the PVR INOX and Cinepolis chains within the first day. Sales did not open everywhere, though: bookings at many single screens and smaller chains were held up by a dispute over how ticket revenue will be shared with the distributors.
Key Facts
- Bookings opened on October 20, 2026 for the film's November 5 opening in India.
- By 3 pm on October 20, about 35,800 opening-day tickets had been sold at the national chains, with about 30,000 at PVR INOX and 5,800 at Cinepolis, according to one trade report.
- Another report put national-chain sales at about 40,000 tickets in the first 24 hours.
- One tracker's figure, reported on October 21, put opening-day advance sales at about Rs 4.96 crore including blocked seats, with the National Capital Region the top market at about Rs 1.45 crore. These early numbers differ by tracker and change by the hour.
- Distributors are reportedly seeking a 60% share of ticket revenue in the first week, which has delayed full bookings at other cinemas.
- Overseas pre-sales had crossed about $770,000 across three markets by October 19, led by North America at about $558,000.
Why It Matters
Ramayana is a two-part adaptation of the epic, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, with Ranbir Kapoor as Ram and Yash in a leading role. Part one is a Diwali 2026 release and part two is planned for Diwali 2027. Advance booking is the first hard sign of how much audiences want to see a film, and strong numbers tend to shape how many screens and shows cinemas give it in the opening week.
The early figures suggest strong interest in cities served by multiplex chains. But the numbers come with caveats. Trackers count differently: some include seats blocked by cinemas for later sale and some do not, and figures measured at noon look very different from those measured a day later. Readers should treat these as early signals, not box office results.
The revenue-share dispute is the other story. When a film is released, the cinema and the distributor split ticket money. For big films, distributors push for a larger share in the first week, when most of the money comes in. The reported demand of 60% has slowed agreements with some cinemas, especially single screens, which often have thinner margins. Until these deals are signed, audiences in smaller towns, where single screens are common, may not be able to book tickets.
How quickly the dispute is settled matters for the film's reach. A mythological epic tends to draw family audiences across the country, including in places where multiplexes are fewer. A long delay could limit early sales in exactly those markets.
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bookings opened | October 20, 2026, at national chains |
| India release | November 5, 2026 |
| Early national-chain sales | About 35,800 tickets by 3 pm on day one; about 40,000 in 24 hours, per reports |
| Revenue-share demand | 60% in the first week, reported |
| Overseas pre-sales | About $770,000 by October 19 |
Impact
Short-term: Sales at national chains will keep climbing over the next two weeks, while single screens wait for revenue-sharing deals. Updated tracker figures will be watched as a guide to the opening-day total.
Long-term: The outcome of the revenue-share talks could set terms for other big releases, and the film's opening will test whether large-budget mythological epics can draw audiences across India and abroad.
Who is affected: Film-goers across India, single-screen owners and smaller chains negotiating with distributors, the multiplex chains, and the film's producers and distributors.
Key Takeaway
Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana opened advance booking at national chains on October 20, 2026 with strong early sales, but a reported 60% revenue-share demand is holding up bookings at many other cinemas.
Questions and Answers
When did Ramayana advance booking open?
Advance booking for Ramayana: Part 1 opened on October 20, 2026, Dussehra, at national chains such as PVR INOX and Cinepolis, for the film's November 5 release in India.
How many Ramayana tickets have been sold?
Trade reports said about 35,800 opening-day tickets had been sold at the national chains by 3 pm on October 20, and about 40,000 within 24 hours. Figures vary by tracker and are changing quickly.
Why can't I book Ramayana tickets at my local cinema?
Distributors are reportedly seeking a 60% share of ticket revenue in the first week, and deals with many single screens and smaller chains had not been signed, so bookings there were delayed.
Who stars in Ramayana?
Ranbir Kapoor plays Ram and Yash plays a leading role in the film, directed by Nitesh Tiwari. Part one releases for Diwali 2026 and part two is planned for Diwali 2027.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
