India’s Lord of the Rings Rival Officially Replaces Godzilla Minus One atop the Box Office
A strong global debut
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend brought in $55 million worldwide during its opening, including $12 million in North America. On Monday, it added another $17 million globally, with $13 million coming from India.
Including Tuesday’s grosses, the film had collected around $80 million. That remains well below its reported production budget of more than $200 million.
Godzilla films in the rankings
Japan’s Godzilla Minus Zero topped the domestic weekend chart with nearly $33 million in its first weekend. The article says that was about three times the opening haul of Godzilla Minus One, its predecessor.
There is a discrepancy in which Godzilla film Ramayana displaced: the headline names Godzilla Minus One, while the story says Ramayana overtook Godzilla Minus Zero on global charts on Monday. The article also says Minus Zero beat Godzilla vs. Kong’s opening weekend, despite having a reported $15 million budget compared with that film’s $200 million cost.
A two-part Indian epic
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is based on a Hindu sacred text and follows Lord Rama, played by Ranbir Kapoor. Yash plays Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.
The first installment ends with Sita’s kidnapping. A second film, which has been green-lit and is currently slated for 2028, is expected to follow Rama’s effort to rescue her.
A record production budget
The film’s reported cost of more than $200 million makes it the most expensive Indian film to date by a wide margin. Producer Namit Malhotra has publicly put the two-part project’s budget at $400 million.
The article notes that no Indian movie project has cost $400 million. It also says the sequel is unlikely to depend on the first film’s performance, given the unclear economics of Indian productions.
Key points
- Ramayana: Rise of a Legend earned $55 million worldwide in its debut.
- The film added $17 million globally on Monday, including $13 million in India.
- The story says Ramayana overtook Godzilla Minus Zero, while the headline names Godzilla Minus One.
- The two-part epic has a reported combined budget of $400 million.