Ranbir Kapoor and Yash’s Ramayana continues its impressive run at the Box Office, with trade experts predicting that the film’s second weekend could outperform its opening weekend. Despite a relatively subdued start during the pre-Diwali period, the film witnessed a sharp rise in collections after the festival, and industry analysts believe it is now on course to challenge the second Saturday benchmark set by Dhurandhar.
Film trade analyst Raj Bansal believes the film’s initial performance was affected by the festive calendar rather than a lack of audience interest. According to him, the real momentum began after Diwali, with collections registering a significant jump from Monday onwards.
“We have been saying from the beginning that the pre-Diwali period is traditionally weak for box office collections, and business only picks up after Lakshmi Pujan and Diwali. This has been proved once again, with collections witnessing a significant jump from Monday onwards. The first three to four days were heavily affected by the pre-Diwali period, which is why I believe the second weekend will be bigger than the first. In fact, I expect the film’s second Saturday collections to surpass the benchmark set by Dhurandhar, which would be a significant achievement,” says Bansal.
If the prediction holds, it would mark another major milestone for Ramayana, particularly given the strong box-office benchmark established by Dhurandhar. The second-weekend performance will be closely watched to see whether the mythological epic can sustain its momentum and surpass that mark.
Film trade analyst Girish Johar is equally optimistic about the film’s box-office trajectory and believes Ramayan has the potential to cross the ₹1,500 crore mark.
“Ramayan is doing outstanding business and is creating records every single day, both before and after Diwali. The second weekend is also on a record-breaking streak. You can see it for yourself,” says Johar.
“I can clearly see the film crossing at least ₹1,500 crore, and it could go even further. That is a huge achievement,” he adds.
While the film’s reported collections have sparked debate, with some questioning the accuracy of the numbers and pointing to high ticket prices, Johar believes the audience response is a stronger indicator of its success.
“At the end of the day, we all know that audiences are going to theatres and watching the film. That is what matters. They are enjoying it. Trade analysts, PR teams, the press and critics are overanalysing everything. Audiences go to theatres with a simple mindset. They already know the story of Ramayan. What matters is how well the film tells that story and connects with them,” he explains.
However, Johar feels the film could have performed even better had its emotional impact and music been stronger.
“The emotional aspect of the film could have been stronger. It did not reach the level it could have. The film could have done even better. Had the music been stronger, it would have performed even better. The music is definitely a letdown,” he says.
Despite these reservations, Johar is full of praise for the film’s leading stars, Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, and believes the audience response has created considerable anticipation for the next instalment.
“Ranbir Kapoor and Yash are outstanding. Everyone is now looking forward to the second part,” he says.
Johar also points out that the film has managed to overcome criticism surrounding its promotional material and trailers.
“People were criticising the film during its promotions and after watching the trailers, but the response to the film has been outstanding. There are no two ways about it. That is why it is generating such huge numbers,” he adds.
Addressing concerns over expensive tickets, Johar maintains, “Even if people are saying ticket prices are high, audiences are still going to watch the film. Ultimately, it is the audience’s response that matters.”
With Raj Bansal predicting that Ramayan could surpass Dhurandhar’s second Saturday benchmark and Girish Johar projecting a lifetime collection of at least ₹1,500 crore, all eyes are now on the film’s second-weekend performance. Whether it achieves these targets remains to be seen, but trade expectations suggest that its Box Office run could have significant milestones ahead.
