Ramayana to release on international screens 2 days before India

Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role, is slowly turning into the most anticipated film of 2026. The makers recently unveiled the English trailer of the highly anticipated mythological epic, with the principal cast, including Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, delivering their dialogues in English. As per the international trailer, the film’s release date in November 6, however, in India, the film is being promoted as a Diwali release, which is on November 8. The difference in the release dates has now been clarified by producer Namit Malhotra.

In a conversation with NDTV, the producer confirmed that the film will release in India on Diwali, which is on November 8. “It’s releasing in India on Diwali,” he said. Explaining the difference in release dates, Malhotra added, “So we are releasing internationally on November 6. The international distribution works from a Friday standpoint, so that’s why it’s releasing on November 6. But in India, we are currently targeting the Diwali release.”

This means that while international markets are expected to get Ramayana on November 6, Indian audiences can expect the much-awaited epic to arrive on Diwali on November 8, subject to the final release schedule. If Ramayana does release in India on November 8, it will make for an interesting box-office gamble. This is because releasing a film on the day of Diwali has traditionally been considered challenging. The reason is simple: festive celebrations, family gatherings and Laxmi Puja can significantly affect theatre footfall.

The case of Tiger 3

A recent example is Salman Khan-starrer Tiger 3, which also opened on Diwali when the festival fell on a Sunday, just like it would this year in the case of Ramayana. The film’s release schedule was affected by the celebrations, with the reduced theatrical footfall during the day impacting its opening-day collections. As per data tracker Sacnilk, Tiger 3 eventually recorded an India net opening of Rs 44.5 crore, which was lower than the opening-day figures of other films from the YRF Spy Universe, including Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, which earned Rs 57 crore net. Pathaan released before the Republic Day weekend on a Wednesday, and made the most of its extended weekend. Before the first Monday, the film had already made Rs 280 crore. Tiger 3, however, did not get that advantage and could only earn Rs 187.65 crore after the first five days.

The question now is whether the mythological epic can overcome the traditional limitations associated with a Diwali release and maximise its opening-day potential.

About Ramayana

Ramayana is planned as a two-part epic, with music by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman. It also stars Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman.

Malhotra previously told YouTuber Prakhar Gupta that the film is mounted on a Rs 4,000 crore budget, which makes it the most expensive Indian film of all time.

-The Indian Express