Sony Pictures will release the upcoming Indian epic “Ramayana” in theaters worldwide outside of India on Nov. 6.
The global release will come two days ahead of the film’s Indian release courtesy of Dharma Distribution, which has timed its release to coincide with the Diwali festivities. The epic is the first half of a planned two-part series.
Written more than 2,500 years ago by the poet Valmiki, the Ramayana is one of the foundational Hindu texts. It tells the story of the prince Rama, the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, who fights to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana. Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi star in Tiwari’s film as Rama and Sita, with Oscar winners Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman composing the score and visual effects done by Oscar-winning studio DNEG, whose CEO, Namit Malhotra, is producing the film through Prime Focus Studios.
“Ramayana” is notable for being the first Indian production to receive the “Filmed for Imax” label, as the premium format company seeks to expand its footprint into Indian cinema.
“Ramayana” is joining a flurry of movies that will hit theaters on the first weekend of November, including Warner Bros.’ animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat” and Toho/GKids’ Japanese blockbuster “Godzilla Minus Zero.”
On the specialty front, MGM will release the Sylvester Stallone biopic “I Play Rocky” that weekend while Searchlight will release Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine” and Apple will begin a one-week limited engagement of “CODA” director Sian Heder’s “Being Heumann.”
Despite that competition, “Ramayana” is likely to get significant turnout from Indian diaspora audiences both in the U.S. and internationally, as top blockbuster exports from India like “RRR” and “Kalki 2898 A.D.” have become key specialty offerings. “Ramayana” has received substantial overseas marketing, including a trailer debut at San Diego Comic-Con this past July.
