Numbers, numbers, numbers. That’s where the conversation about Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, initially focused on the performances and storytelling, has shifted to in the week since its release. With the Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash-starrer reportedly crossing the Rs 900 crore mark worldwide, the trade is now hopeful that filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari’s magnum opus will reach the Rs 1500 crore mark.

Discussing Ramayana’s dominance in the Indian market, trade analyst Ramesh Bala told mid-day, “The film made around Rs. 550 crore by the end of its sixth day [Tuesday, Nov 10]. It’s performing well in the South too. There were considerable expectations from Karnataka because of Yash, but it has fared well in Kerala and the Telugu-speaking markets too. The US market is also [contributing significantly]. I believe the film will reach Rs. 1500 crore worldwide.” He added that the figure could go higher when the film releases in China.

Even though trade analyst Taran Adarsh felt the movie had room for a bigger opening, he noted, “It registered the highest ever collections for any film in the pre-Diwali period. It could have done even better in the initial days, but it has more than made up. It earned around Rs 95 crore on Monday, and Rs 75 crore on Tuesday [in India].”

The two-part movie, mounted on a Rs 4000 crore budget, has tremendous pressure to earn back its investment. According to Rajasthan-based exhibitor Raj Bansal, people in the trade circle are spreading negativity around the movie. 

He shared, “The film is running to house-full shows in my theatre. I am expecting its lifetime collection to reach around Rs 800-1200 crore [in the domestic market]. But there are some so-called box office analysts, who, when they don’t get paid by the producers to promote their film, run it down. That’s what they tried doing with Ramayana too.”

Taran Adarsh noted that ‘Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend’ had the highest Monday collection with Rs 95 crore, upstaging ‘Dhurandhar The Revenge’ that previously held the record. The epic also holds the highest Tuesday collection now.