‘Ramayana’ to challenge ‘Godzilla’ at global box office

Takashi Yamazaki’s ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’, the sequel to the Oscar-winning 2023 Japanese film ‘Godzilla Minus One’, is gearing up for a strong worldwide box-office debut, with early forecasts projecting a USD 60 million opening.

However, its global box office run could face competition from the Indian epic ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’.According to industry estimates reported by Deadline, ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ is expected to collect between USD 25 million and USD 30 million in North America, with another USD 30 million from its release in international territories. Its estimated worldwide opening currently stands at approximately USD 60 million.However, ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ could face a formidable box-office rival in ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’, which is also making its worldwide theatrical debut this weekend. The Indian epic that is releasing amid much hype and anticipation is projected to score a global opening ranging between USD 30 million and USD 75 million.The two-part epic, made on a staggering budget of an estimated USD 500 million, makes it one of the most expensive films made in India.

As per reports, the makers are eyeing an estimated USD 65 million haul with USD 30 million coming in from the North American box office. Anything under would allegedly be considered a 'failure'.Meanwhile, 'Godzilla' has already made an impressive start in Japan, collecting USD 5.7 million (Yen 910 million) on its opening day. Toho has described the figure as an opening-day record for a live-action film in Japan, surpassing previous benchmarks set by both domestic and international live-action releases.Even if the sequel falls short of its projected North American opening and settles in the mid-USD 20 million range, it would still surpass the distributor GKIDS' previous biggest opening - Hayao Miyazaki's ‘The Boy and the Heron’, which collected USD 13 million in its 2023 debut.