Ramayana and Godzilla Minus Zero will both be released internationally on the same date: Friday, November 6, 2026. Although these films do not appear to be competing for the same set of audiences, they will surely be competing for the limited number of IMAX screens around the world.

Sony confirmed the international release of Ramayana back in early September. Meanwhile, Godzilla Minus Zero’s international release on November 6 was set in opposition to its Japan release of November 3, several months ago to mark the 72nd anniversary of the original Godzilla’s release. So neither film was targeting the other’s release, both just wanted a wide international IMAX release.

At the moment, Godzilla Minus Zero appears to have the edge. Although the kaiju films have not exactly been Hollywood darlings of late, Godzilla Minus One made over $116 million worldwide on a reported budget of $15 million. That includes $56 million at the North American box office, which is a record for a Japanese-language film. Godzilla Minus One also took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, the first Asian film to win in that category. Godzilla Minus Zero will be written and directed by Godzilla Minus One helmer Takashi Yamazaki, who also supervised VFX on that film. And while Ramayana was always supposed to have top-notch VFX from DNEG, an 8-times Oscar winning company known for Dune and Inception, Godzilla Minus Zero will be the first Japanese film ever shot for IMAX.

Apparently, Ramayana has the edge when it comes to scale though. Producer Namit Malhotra has spoken of the two-part Ramayana project as a ₹4,000 crore ($460 million) endeavor. Estimates for the cost of the first film alone have ranged from ₹835 crore to ₹1,600 crore. More recent reports have the figure somewhere in the middle at ₹1,400 to ₹1,500 crore. That will make it necessary for Ramayana to make a lot of money, both in domestic markets and internationally. Reports indicate Ramayana will release on 59,000 screens worldwide: 9,000 in India and 50,000 internationally. This will be aided by its star-studded cast that includes top-tier actors Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi and more, and by a score that marks the first-ever Hans Zimmer collaboration with India’s own A.R. Rahman.

By comparison, Godzilla Minus One made an astonishing sum of money against a budget that appears to have been orders of magnitude lower than Ramayana’s. Minus Zero is coming off the heels of Minus One’s success. That means its financial expectations may not be as outsized as Ramayana, which could make it more of a threat. Also, Godzilla has a brand recognition in the west that Ramayana lacks.

At this point it seems Ramayana and Godzilla Minus Zero aren’t necessarily competing for the same audiences. Yes, Ramayana is getting its India release during Diwali, but its international release will be mostly targeting South Asian audiences living in cities like Los Angeles, London, Sydney, etc., that have big IMAX screens. At the same time, Godzilla will be attracting genre moviegoers that enjoy monster movies

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The audiences who want to see Ramayana will likely wish to see it on the biggest possible screen, and the same goes with the fans of Godzilla. Godzilla may have the edge here thanks to its brand-name recognition and recent Oscar win, but we’ll see what theaters decide. If Godzilla performs well enough to hold onto screens that might otherwise have gone to Ramayana, it could negatively impact Ramayana’s international performance.
Given the stakes involved with Ramayana’s production, it will need to do well overseas to turn a profit. Films need to make multiples of what they cost to produce to turn a profit after deductions to distributors, theaters, etc. So even if Ramayana does well in India, due to its massive budget, it could be sunk if Godzilla manages to take its thunder internationally.

On the surface, “Ramayana vs. Godzilla” sounds like quite the mismatch. However, while it might not be a fight to the finish between equally matched opponents, the fallout could prove dire for Ramayana. The scale of the reported $460 million budget of Ramayana means the film will need a sizable worldwide box-office haul and a longer theatrical run. In contrast, Godzilla is the latest in a long-running franchise. While it would be unfair to compare Ramayana to Godzilla in terms of IP, Ramayana does have the edge in terms of diaspora pull (especially overseas). But then again, Godzilla doesn’t really need an IP-driven fanbase. Its name itself holds substantial pull among general moviegoers, especially if they have no allegiances to another movie that weekend. Add to the mix the return of the Minus One director and goodwill towards the franchise, and you have a blockbuster that has its work cut out for it.

It’s safe to assume that Ramayana would want its first-weekend run to be as widespread and prominent as possible. That means that while both films can co-exist just fine in non-premium screens, Ramayana would want its share of the premium/IMAX screens. That’s where things get interesting. If Ramayana turns out to be a crossover hit and walks away with rave reviews, it can keep those IMAX screens for a couple of weeks. On the other hand, if Ramayana disappoints with an average response, Godzilla would gobble up those screens in no time. It’s difficult to predict the reception of Ramayana, there are a couple of scenarios that could unfold. The most ideal outcome would be if Ramayana becomes the biggest-ever Diwali release and maintains that tag through the holiday season in the domestic market. That would be indicative of the film’s wide appeal. Add to the mix a solid international response considering that Ramayana will be promoted heavily abroad, something it deserves considering its budget, and it is looking at a very comfortable journey. Ramayana doesn’t want to be a film that breaks records domestically but falls flat internationally. That would make its mammoth budget very difficult to justify.

All that being said, the battle is limited to a handful of territories, the US and Canada, the UK, and Australia. Those territories happen to have significant Indian and, even more importantly, moviegoing Indian populations as well as solid Godzilla fanbases. Elsewhere in the world, Ramayana has a field day, no major releases that weekend. And at home, Ramayana has a wide-open Diwali season, no major releases during the entire Diwali weekend. So, Ramayana’s November release could prove to be an interesting tale of two cities, the wide-open skies at home and a potential Godzilla-related cloud abroad. Only time will tell who comes out victorious in the clash of these two titans.