Ramayana’s ₹4000 Crore Budget: Can It Match Avatar or Avengers at the Box Office?
Namit Malhotra, producer of the upcoming epic Ramayana, recently revealed the film’s staggering financial scope during a podcast appearance. Speaking on The Prakhar Gupta Xperience, Malhotra disclosed that the two-part cinematic venture will cost a jaw-dropping $500 million (over ₹4000 crore) to produce and market. This figure dwarfs the budgets of any previous Indian film, surpassing even the earnings of Dangal, India’s highest-grossing movie, which raked in ₹2000 crore globally.
Ramayan Budget
Malhotra shared that the ambitious project, which began taking shape six to seven years ago, left industry insiders skeptical. “Everyone called me a lunatic,” he said, noting that no Indian film has ever approached such a colossal budget. The $500 million covers both Ramayana Part 1 and Part 2, making it roughly seven times costlier than any prior Indian production.
A clip of Malhotra’s comments, shared on Reddit, ignited a firestorm of reactions. Users were floored by the budget, with one comparing it to James Cameron’s Avatar, the highest-grossing film ever, made for $237 million. “This is bigger than the budget of Avatar lol,” the user wrote.
Reddit Questions Profitability
Concerns quickly surfaced about the film’s financial viability. To break even, Ramayana would need to gross nearly $1 billion at the box office a feat achieved by only a handful of global blockbusters like Avatar, Avengers, and the Fast & Furious franchise. One Redditor pointed out, “They need to make $800-900 million just to break even. It’ll have to pull Avatar- or Avengers-level numbers, plus RRR-style reception overseas.” Another questioned the feasibility, noting, “You could make 1.5-2 Avengers movies with that budget. Can it even reach $1 billion combined?”
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Reddit users also highlighted the challenge of surpassing India’s box office records. Dangal, with its ₹2000 crore global haul, benefited heavily from China, where it earned over ₹1300 crore. Other top Indian films, like Pushpa 2: The Rise and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, grossed over ₹1700 crore worldwide but fell short of Dangal’s mark. “The highest-grossing film made ₹2000 crore, and that was Dangal,” one user remarked. “They want twice that, in this economy, just to break even?”
As Ramayana aims for global success, its unprecedented budget has sparked both awe and skepticism, with social media abuzz over whether it can achieve the monumental box office numbers needed to justify its cost.