‘Ramayana’ has a $400 million budget. How much is being spent on its Hollywood promotion?

Highlights:

• ‘Ramayana’ has a reported $418 million global marketing campaign.
• Sony Pictures is the film’s international distributor and is reportedly investing $25 million in marketing.
• The production team is reportedly contributing another $15 million to the global campaign.
• The cast and filmmakers have promoted the movie at CinemaCon and San Diego Comic-Con.
• Yash said the reported $418 million figure includes both films and Hollywood promotional costs.

Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part Ramayana is being marketed as a global theatrical event, with the filmmakers taking the Indian epic directly to major US entertainment platforms ahead of its release.

The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. Its reported combined budget for both films is around $418 million, which Yash recently clarified includes the two movies as well as promotional costs associated with taking the project to a global audience.

“There’s a misunderstanding I should clarify. $418 million, quoted by my partner (Namit Malhotra), includes both the films, and the promotional costs for Hollywood. That’s how the math there works. A budget equal to, or sometimes more than, the production budget is spent for promotions because it’s global,” said Yash.

For US audiences, the scale of the campaign is particularly notable because the filmmakers are not relying only on the traditional overseas promotion used for Indian releases. Instead, the team has appeared at major US industry and pop-culture events and is working with a major Hollywood studio for international distribution.

How much is Ramayana spending on global promotion?

The reported global marketing commitment is $418 million. Reports say Sony Pictures is investing $25 million toward international marketing, while the production side is expected to contribute another $15 million. The reported arrangement is an FOC, or free-of-cost, distribution deal, with Sony investing in marketing rather than paying an upfront acquisition fee to the producers.

That distinction is important. The $40 million figure is being reported as a global marketing spend, rather than money exclusively earmarked for Hollywood advertising.

The campaign also comes on top of the enormous reported production budget for the two-part project. Reuters previously reported the combined budget at up to $500 million and described the filmmakers’ ambition as reaching both Eastern and Western audiences.

Yash has similarly explained that the project is being planned around global revenue and international audiences rather than only the Indian market.

“He’s doing it for the country, let him do it. If the film is nice, the audience would bless it,” said Yash on Aap Ki Adalat.

Why is the team Promoting Ramayana in the US?

The US has already become a major part of the film’s promotional strategy.

In April, Ramayana was presented at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, placing the project in front of the US theatrical industry alongside Hollywood releases. The filmmakers have also taken the movie to San Diego Comic-Con, where Ranbir, Yash, director Nitesh Tiwari and producer Namit Malhotra appeared to promote the film.

At San Diego Comic-Con in July, the team presented the film to fans and industry audiences, reinforcing the idea that Ramayana is being marketed as an international spectacle rather than solely as a Bollywood release.

The US campaign has continued beyond those events. Ranbir Kapoor, Nitesh Tiwari and Namit Malhotra were recently in the United States discussing the film and responding to criticism surrounding its visual effects.

The international strategy is also reflected in the film’s release plans. Reuters reported that the first installment is scheduled to release in India and the US on November 8, 2026, timed to Diwali, with the second part planned for 2027.

Why is Namit Malhotra prepared to spend more?

The reported marketing expenditure is part of a much larger financial commitment from producer Namit Malhotra.

Malhotra previously spoke about the challenge of financing a project of this scale and said:

“Everyone, including actors, asked me if I have enough funds to pull it off. I’ve finished the first film and not borrowed a single rupee. I don’t know where the money is coming from. When people ask me how I pulled it off, even I don’t know. This is something else. It’s just happening on its own. This is not just a project or a business proposition,” he said.

The Indian Express also reported that Malhotra had previously claimed he was willing to spend three times the $418 million crore budget if necessary.

For Ramayana, the international marketing strategy is therefore closely tied to the filmmakers’ broader ambition: to make an Indian epic accessible to audiences around the world while presenting it on the scale of a major global theatrical production.

The $40 million marketing campaign, Sony Pictures’ international involvement and the film’s appearances at US events all point toward the same goal, building awareness beyond India before the first installment reaches theaters.

For American audiences unfamiliar with the traditional story, the campaign is also an opportunity to introduce Ramayana as a large-scale fantasy epic rooted in Indian culture and mythology.

With Part 1 scheduled for a November 2026 theatrical release and Part 2 planned for 2027, the US promotional campaign is likely to remain an important part of how the filmmakers position the franchise internationally.