Ramayana opens with fanfare in Indonesia, earns over Rs 5 cr in Thailand. See pics, videos

Nitesh Tiwari’s film adaptation of the Indian epic, Ramayana, is not only making waves across India, but also worldwide, given the text’s cultural influence in many other neighbouring countries. It has already crossed the Rs 800 crore mark at the worldwide box office within just six days of release, with several Southeast Asian countries contributing significantly to that massive haul.

Ramayana released in Indonesia on Wednesday, November 11, five days after it opened in India, North America, Canada, Australia, the UK, Europe and other major global markets. Visuals surfaced on social media from its grand premiere in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, where the audience thronged the cinemas for a complete experience, packed with dance performances around the Indian epic in the lobby of the cinema hall.

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Indonesian fans, dressed in Indian attire, walked the red carpet and had their pictures taken as they stepped out to watch Ramayana in IMAX. They were also seen shopping for bangles, getting henna applied on their hands, posing on the throne kept at the centre of the lobby, and giving a dance performance in traditional Indian attire. People even came dressed as Rama, Sita, Lakshman, and Ravana and clicked pictures with the fans.

Ramayana has enjoyed a stronghold in Indonesia for centuries now, particularly with the Kakawin Ramayana, an Old Javanese adaptation of the Indian epic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while visiting the country earlier this year, also acknowledged the same. “India and Indonesia do not just share the sea; we also share our history. Our relationship is rooted in the legacy of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata,” he said at an event.

Ramayana smashes records in Thailand

Ramayana released in Thailand on November 5, and within the extended opening weekend itself, earned $550,000 (Rs 5.15 crore) across the country, as per Box Office Mojo. In the process, it’s already emerged as one of the highest grossing Indian films in Thailand ever. The Thai premiere was no different, as fans showed up dressed in traditional Indian attire and watched the film in English, Hindi, and their native language of Thai on the big screen.

The Thai adaptation of Ramayana is known as Ramakien, a performance of which was also staged for PM Modi when he visited the country last year. He hailed the performance as a “confluence of cultures” of India and Thailand. In the Thai adaptation, Rama is known as Phra Ram, and the kings of the Chakri dynasty of the country are even referred to as Ramas.

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Not just a Southeast Asian phenomenon

As expected, Ramayana has minted the most on its home turf of India, where it was released across five languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam — and amassed Rs 526.50 crore gross at the domestic box office within six days of release. Besides other Asian countries like Thailand, the film has opened impressively even in Western countries, where the Indian epic doesn’t have that much cultural significance.

As per Box Office Mojo, Ramayana has opened at $627,810 (Rs 5.89 crore) in Germany, $186,7330 (Rs 17.52 crore) in Australia, 2.2 million pounds (Rs 27.55 crore in the UK), and $12.2 million (Rs 114.48 crore) in the US. Among the new releases, Ramayana emerged as the second highest grossing film in North America, next only to Takashi Yamazaki’s Japanese monster epic Godzilla Minus Zero.

Though Ramayana has already amassed Rs 823.50 crore at the worldwide box office so far, it’s yet to release in several other countries, which may further boost its total collection in the coming days. It’s slated to release in the cinemas of Hong Kong, Mexico, and Central Asia on Thursday, November 12; Brazil, Italy, Ukraine, and Hungary on November 19; Poland on November 20; Argentina, Central America, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru on November 26.

Indian films haven’t traditionally opened widely in most of these markets, but Ramayana seems to be a different story, as its current trajectory suggests. It helps that it’s being distributed overseas by Sony Pictures International. Starring Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and Yash as Ravana among others, it’s co-produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, and has been mounted on a budget of over Rs 4,500 crore.