Los Angeles gave Ramayana: Rise of a Legend a grand welcome on October 27, and within hours the first reactions from the world premiere were travelling fast back home. Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi walked the red carpet with director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra, eight days before the film reaches cinemas worldwide on November 5. The early word praises the scale, questions the storytelling, and treats the film as a big-screen event.
The premiere took place at the David Geffen Theatre inside the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. It was an invite-only 3D screening, with guests in traditional Indian festive wear. Photos showed the actors posing for photographers and stopping for selfies with fans.
A red carpet built for a global stage
Ranbir Kapoor (Rama) wore an ivory jacket, Sai Pallavi (Sita) a pink saree, and Yash (Ravana) all black with a gold brooch. Reports said the loudest cheers were for the leading men, with fans chanting Ravana as Yash walked the carpet.
Yash told the crowd that where a person comes from should never limit how far they can go, and said he was proud to stand there as an Indian and a Kannadiga. The film is the first part of a two-part adaptation, set to release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, with an English version also prepared. Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman and Sunny Deol plays Hanuman, alongside Arun Govil, Lara Dutta and Rakul Preet Singh.
What the first viewers are saying
The first reactions shared online were mixed to positive, and that split is itself telling. Several viewers praised the visuals, dance sequences, music and action, calling the film spectacular and one of the most immersive experiences of the year. Ranbir Kapoor was described by some as sublime, and Yash as magnetic, with his screen presence and introduction sequences singled out for praise.
Other viewers were more measured. While they praised the scale and visual ambition, they felt the emotional impact was missing in places, and that Ranbir and Sai Pallavi could have had greater emotional depth. The visual effects drew mixed feedback too, with some sequences looking impressive and some green-screen work falling short. The music and the long action passages in the second half were also criticised by some early viewers.
None of this is a formal review. These are first impressions from a premiere audience, shared on social media. What they suggest is a film that lands strongly as spectacle, while leaving room for debate on narration and emotion.
The AI question, answered at the premiere
One question followed the film to Los Angeles, and Tiwari answered it directly. There had been speculation online that artificial intelligence had been used to dub the film into other languages, and reports said some critics had dropped premiere plans over that misunderstanding.
Tiwari was clear. He said no AI had been used in dubbing, and that all the voices were dubbed by real artists. AI, he said, was used only for lip sync, to match lip movements to dialogue so audiences could watch the film in their own language. It matters because the film is releasing in several languages, and the wider debate about AI in cinema is sharp at the moment.
Advance booking is already moving fast
If the premiere set the mood, the booking counters suggest the audience is already responding. As of October 27, the film had grossed Rs 10.74 crore in advance bookings in India, with about 1.96 lakh tickets sold across 5,780 tracked shows, according to trade reports. That placed it as the fourth-biggest Bollywood opening-day advance booking of 2026 so far, behind Dhurandhar 2, Drishyam 3 and Border 2, and ahead of Mirzapur: The Movie.
- Advance bookings grew 11.18 percent in the last 24 hours covered by the trade reports.
- Delhi-NCR led the Indian territories, crossing Rs 2 crore in advance gross, with Bengaluru and Hyderabad also contributing strongly.
- Eleven houseful shows had already been reported, most of them in Hyderabad.
- In the United States, advance sales had reached 631,747 dollars from 1,820 shows, passing the comparable pre-sale total for Adipurush.
Totals vary slightly between trackers, which count blocked seats differently. The direction is consistent: bookings are strong and growing. Whether the film matches its confident launch is a question for November 5.
FAQs
When is Ramayana releasing?
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend releases worldwide in cinemas on November 5, 2026.
Where was the world premiere held?
The world premiere was held on October 27, 2026, at the David Geffen Theatre inside the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Who plays Rama, Sita and Ravana?
Ranbir Kapoor plays Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita and Yash plays Ravana. Sunny Deol plays Hanuman and Ravie Dubey plays Lakshman.
Was AI used to dub Ramayana?
No, according to director Nitesh Tiwari. He said real artists dubbed the voices, and AI was used only for lip sync in different language versions.
How strong is the advance booking?
Trade reports put advance gross at Rs 10.74 crore in India as of October 27, with about 1.96 lakh tickets sold, making it the fourth-biggest Bollywood opening-day advance booking of 2026 so far.
Informeia will follow the release and the first box office reports as they come in.
