'Ramayana' Becomes First Indian Film to Top U.K. and Ireland Box Office

Sony's animated mythological adventure "Ramayana: Rise of a Legend" has become the first Indian film ever to debut at No. 1 at the U.K. and Ireland box office, taking £2.1 million ($2.8 million) in a crowded frame of new releases.

The previous ceiling for Indian cinema in the territory was second place — a mark held jointly by S.S. Rajamouli's "RRR" in 2022, Shah Rukh Khan's "Pathaan" and "Jawan" in 2023, and Ranveer Singh's "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" earlier this year. No Indian feature had crossed it until now. What this changes for Indian distribution in Britain and Ireland is straightforward: the diaspora-driven release model has produced a chart-topper, and rivals will read that as proof the market can support a No. 1 opening — though one weekend does not yet make a pattern.

How the rest of the chart shaped up

Disney's "Wild Horse Nine" opened in second place with $1.9 million. Anime Ltd.'s "Godzilla Minus Zero," despite its debut buzz, settled for third at $1.8 million.

• Black Bear's period comedy "Wicker," last week's leader, fell to fourth with $1.5 million; its running total stands at $5.7 million.
• Universal's concert film "George Michael: The Faith Tour" debuted in fifth with $1.3 million.
• A24's "Primetime," directed by Lance Oppenheim and starring Robert Pattinson, added $1.1 million in its second weekend for a $4.6 million cume.
• Lionsgate U.K.'s comedy horror "Ghosts: The Possession of Button House" took $997,064 in its third frame, lifting its total to $10.3 million.
• Warner Bros.' DC horror thriller "Clayface" earned $911,261 in week three, reaching $8.1 million.
• Entertainment Film Distributors' "I Play Rocky," starring Anthony Ippolito as the young Sylvester Stallone, opened ninth with $810,781.
• Trafalgar Releasing's "Stray Kids World Tour 'Run It' Live Viewing" rounded out the top 10 with $793,559.

Just outside the chart, Altitude's Cannes winner "La Bola Negra" debuted with $721,301. Mubi's "Fatherland," directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and starring Sandra Hüller, ranked No. 24 in its third weekend with $74,401, bringing its cumulative gross to $997,741.

What arrives next week?

Mid-week programming begins Tuesday with Trafalgar Releasing's live cinema broadcast of the Royal Ballet and Opera's "Carmen – RBO, London 2026," followed Thursday by Dreamz Entertainment's Indian title "Vidudala."

Friday brings saturation rollouts across 300-plus locations, led by Susanna White's legal drama "Prima Facie," starring Cynthia Erivo, Daniel Ings, Toheeb Jimoh and Noma Dumezweni. Platform and mid-tier releases include Sony's "How To Rob A Bank," Paramount's holiday drama "Ebenezer," Apple Original Films' "Being Heumann," Picturehouse's Cannes winner "Fjord" and Dartmouth Films' nature documentary "Whispers In The Woods."

Specialized and festival titles include Netflix's wartime football drama "The Mosquito Bowl," directed by Peter Berg with Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård; Dreamz Entertainment's dual Indian releases "Mega158" and "Kaaka"; Kunsang Kyirong's "100 Sunset"; David Nicholas Wilkinson's documentary "1 In 2"; Miracle/ESPN's "Give Me The Ball!"; and DocHouse's "A Fox Under a Pink Moon."

Repertory programming anchors the week in restorations: Park Circus launches a 20th-anniversary 4K reissue of Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" with Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman and Steve Coogan, while Studiocanal rolls out a 50th-anniversary 4K restoration of Nicolas Roeg's "The Man Who Fell to Earth," starring David Bowie.

The weekend closes Saturday with Dreamz Entertainment's "George Krish," Trafalgar's "Festive Fun With Peppa" and Piece Of Magic's live broadcast of the "League of Legends Worlds 26 – Finals In Cinema." Whether "Ramayana" holds the top spot against that slate will show if the breakthrough has legs or was a one-weekend event.