How Ramayana and Godzilla Minus Zero rewrote two box office records in one weekend

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend became the first Indian film to debut at No. 1 at the UK and Ireland box office for the weekend of November 6–8, 2026. The film, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi, collected £2.1 million ($2.8 million), according to Variety. Screen Daily reported £1.7 million from 364 cinemas, rising to £2.2 million with previews, calling it the biggest opening ever for an Indian film in the territory.

The previous ceiling for Indian cinema in the UK and Ireland was second place, held by RRR in 2022, Pathaan and Jawan in 2023, and Dhurandhar: The Revenge earlier in 2026.

Godzilla Minus Zero debuted the same weekend, finishing third per Variety ($1.8 million) or second per Screen Daily (£1.1 million). Globally, the Japanese film led with $63 million worldwide, including a $31.6 million North American debut — the largest opening ever for a live-action foreign-language film. Ramayana earned $52.15 million across 38 territories, making it the world's second-highest-grossing film for the weekend.

Ramayana is the first of a two-part epic with a reported $420 million budget. Godzilla Minus Zero was delayed by two weeks in India considering the Ramayana craze.

The UK-Ireland chart has historically been a ceiling for Indian cinema at second place. A No. 1 debut, alongside a Japanese film's record-breaking North American opening, suggests premium-format and diaspora-driven demand is reshaping which films Western audiences see first. For an industry betting $420 million on a two-part mythological epic, the UK result is an early signal on whether that bet travels beyond India.