Ramayana’s run in North America has taken a dramatic turn. After a strong opening weekend that still trailed Dhurandhar 2, the film has picked up unreal momentum on the weekdays. It set two back-to-back records for Indian cinema, and Dhurandhar 2’s place as the biggest Indian film in North America is now under real threat.
A Strong Weekend, but Behind Dhurandhar 2
Ramayana grossed $12.25M over its opening weekend. That is a huge number, but from premieres through Day 4, it ran slightly behind Dhurandhar 2 every day, and Dhurandhar 2’s weekend total was $14M.
At that stage, beating Dhurandhar 2’s full run of $28.6M looked like a challenge, and Ramayana seemed headed for a finish in the $25M range.
Then Came Monday
From Monday, the trend flipped completely.
Monday: $1.37M (Dhurandhar 2: $1.14M)
Tuesday: $2M+ (Dhurandhar 2: $1.3M+)
Ramayana’s $1.37M is the biggest Monday ever for an Indian film in North America. On Tuesday it crossed $2M, another all-time record and well ahead of Dhurandhar 2.
Weekdays are where a film’s real strength shows, because only the audiences who have heard good things keep turning up. Ramayana is now pulling in more people on working days than any Indian film before it.
First Week: A Close Finish
With Tuesday, Ramayana’s North America total is now in the $15.7M range for 6 days. Dhurandhar 2 collected $17.4M in its first week. That record will stay with Dhurandhar 2 for now, but only by a slight margin.
$30M in Sight
The bigger picture has changed completely. With weekday numbers like these, Ramayana is a sure shot to pass Dhurandhar 2’s lifetime $28.6M and become the biggest Indian film ever in North America. It is set to score at least $30M.