From ‘Dil Se’ to ‘Ramayana’: How Indian Cinema Shattered the U.K., Ireland Box Office Glass Ceiling

When Mani Ratnam’s romantic thriller “Dil Se..” debuted in August 1998, it achieved what was then considered unthinkable for South Asian cinema: entering the official U.K. and Ireland top 10 box office chart at No. 8. Powered by Shah Rukh Khan’s burgeoning overseas stardom and A.R. Rahman’s ubiquitous soundtrack, the film proved that Indian releases could cut through mainstream British multiplexes on limited screens.

That watershed moment initiated a 28-year ascent across Bollywood and South Indian regional industries, culminating this weekend when Sony Pictures’ mythological epic “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” debuted at No. 1 with £2.1 million ($2.8 million) including previews, officially claiming the territory’s box office summit.

Before “Dil Se..,” Indian cinema’s U.K. and Ireland footprint was largely confined to single screens and community halls in South Asian diaspora hubs such as Southall, Wembley, Leicester and Birmingham. While films like “Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!” (1994) and “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” (1995) generated significant receipts – eventually crossing the £1 million ($1.6 million) mark over prolonged runs – they operated in an isolated distribution ecosystem outside mainstream computerized reporting.

The breakthrough of “Dil Se..” transformed the market landscape. Just two months later, Karan Johar’s directorial debut “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” built on that foundation, bowing inside the top 10 and amassing £1.7 million ($3 million). In 2001, Johar’s multi-starrer “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…” rewrote the record books, reaching No. 3 with £473,255 ($681,000) in its first week from just 41 screens and finishing its run with nearly £2.5 million ($3.6 million). Over the next decade, a string of major Bollywood releases – including Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Devdas” (2002), Yash Chopra’s “Veer-Zaara” (2004) and Johar’s “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” (2006) – cemented Hindi-language cinema as a reliable weekend fixture in the U.K. top 10.

The threshold moved higher in 2010 when 20th Century Fox released Karan Johar’s “My Name Is Khan,” starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, on 91 screens. The drama debuted at No. 6 with £936,000 ($1.4 million) and concluded with £2.6 million ($4.1 million). Three years later, Aamir Khan’s action franchise entry “Dhoom 3” (2013) raised the bar further, bowing with £884,567 ($1.4 million) and becoming the first Indian film to cross £2.7 million ($4.4 million) in the territory. Aamir Khan continued to push commercial frontiers with “PK” (2014), which grossed £2.3 million ($3.7 million), and “Dangal” (2016), which delivered £2.5 million ($3.2 million), alongside Salman Khan’s “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” (2015), which reached £2.6 million ($4.1 million).

Yet for all of Bollywood’s commercial muscle, an unyielding glass ceiling remained: chart positions consistently hovered between No. 3 and No. 10 against Hollywood tentpoles. Furthermore, South Indian cinema remained hindered by fragmented distribution.

That began to shift in April 2017 with S.S. Rajamouli’s “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,” starring Prabhas. The film released across several languages and crossed £1 million ($1.3 million) in the territory within 10 days. However, fragmented reporting hindered its peak chart placement. The official chart, compiled by Comscore, listed each language version separately: the Hindi-language version opened at No. 6 with £221,452 ($286,000) from 50 sites and the Tamil-language version at No. 9 with £194,522 ($251,000) from 39 sites, while the Malayalam and Telugu-language versions charted lower. Even combined, its roughly £455,000 ($587,000) would have placed it only No. 6, behind “Their Finest” (£630,544; $813,000) and far below the £13.1 million ($16.9 million) bow of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”

The ceiling truly began to crack when Rajamouli’s “RRR” landed in March 2022. Driven by massive event demand, the Telugu epic debuted at No. 2 with £650,204 ($858,000) from 160 locations, including previews, held off from the summit only by Warner Bros.’ “The Batman.”

The subsequent wave of pan-Indian spectacle gradually united reporting streams and brought Southern regional industries into the mainstream multiplex fold. Mani Ratnam’s Tamil historical epic “Ponniyin Selvan: I” (2022) delivered a £745,000 ($834,000) opening weekend across 119 U.K. sites, charting at No. 5 and finishing with £1.2 million ($1.3 million). In March 2024, Blessy’s survival drama “Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life,” starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, set benchmarks for Malayalam cinema, debuting at No. 5 with £556,514 ($702,000) and grossing some £717,000 ($903,000) across its run. That summer, Nag Ashwin’s sci-fi epic “Kalki 2898 AD,” also starring Prabhas, released by Dreamz Entertainment across 450 U.K. sites, opened at No. 3 with £886,366 ($1.1 million) and went on to pass £1.5 million ($1.9 million).

Shah Rukh Khan starrers matched the historic No. 2 benchmark of “RRR” twice in 2023. In January, Siddharth Anand’s spy thriller “Pathaan” opened at No. 2 with a £1.4 million ($1.74 million) three-day weekend (reaching £1.97 million, or $2.44 million, over five days), behind James Cameron’s holdover “Avatar: The Way of Water,” on its way to a then-record U.K. total of £4.38 million ($5.4 million). In September 2023, Atlee’s action thriller “Jawan” mirrored the feat, debuting at No. 2 with £1.35 million ($1.67 million). Ranbir Kapoor’s violent action drama “Animal” (2023) opened lower, at No. 6 with £719,000 ($906,000), but legged out to £2.37 million ($3 million).

In March this year, Aditya Dhar’s spy sequel “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” became the fourth Indian film to open at No. 2, with a then-record £1.6 million ($2.1 million) Friday-to-Sunday weekend, or £2.1 million ($2.8 million) including previews. It went on to overtake “Pathaan” as the territory’s highest-grossing Indian release, with more than £4.4 million ($5.9 million).

South Indian cinema hit its own high-water mark in October this year, when Nelson Dilipkumar’s Tamil-language action sequel “Jailer 2,” starring Rajinikanth, opened at No. 3 with £1.1 million ($1.5 million) from just 228 sites, the highest site average of the weekend. Within 10 days, it had become the highest-grossing Tamil film in the territory with £1.6 million ($2.1 million).

Until this week, No. 2 remained the undisputed ceiling for Indian cinema in the territory.

That boundary fell with “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend.” Directed by Nitesh Tiwari (“Dangal”) and produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios and DNEG in association with Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, the film is the first of a two-part adaptation of the Hindu epic. Ranbir Kapoor plays Rama, Yash plays the demon king Ravana and Sai Pallavi plays Sita, with Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravie Dubey as Lakshmana. The story pits the prince against the vengeful king and ends with Ravana’s abduction of Sita, stopping short of the war between them. Backed by a wide, format-heavy rollout across 364 sites that included premium 3D and large-format screens, the film’s £2.1 million ($2.8 million) debut – a new opening record for an Indian film in the territory – outstripped competing releases, including Disney’s “Wild Horse Nine” (£1.48 million; $1.97 million) at No. 2 and Anime Ltd.’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” (£1.3 million; $1.8 million) at No. 3.

From Mani Ratnam’s political romance sneaking into the lower rungs of the top 10 in 1998, through the trailblazing runs of “Baahubali 2,” “RRR,” “Pathaan” and “The Goat Life,” to a mythological tentpole conquering the weekend chart in 2026, Indian cinema has traveled from diaspora counterprogramming to the top of the U.K. and Ireland chart. However, the full-run numbers still lag well behind. The highest-grossing Indian release in the territory, “Dhurandhar: The Revenge,” has taken just over £4.4 million ($5.9 million), a fraction of what the biggest Hollywood and British releases earn. “Project Hail Mary,” which kept “Dhurandhar” off the top spot in March, passed £15 million ($20 million) in two weekends, while “Avatar: The Way of Water” was above £70 million ($86.8 million) by its seventh. “Ramayana” has broken the ceiling for one weekend. Breaking it over a full run is the next test.