India, Nov. 6 -- Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana did not have the earth-shattering start at the box office that its makers had hoped for. However, the film still did great business, setting a new record for a pre-Diwali release in India. But the true test begins now, on its first Friday. The film is likely to see a drop in collections on its second day before the Diwali weekend picks up the pace again. It remains to be seen whether positive word of mouth will offset that drop, and by how much.

Ramayana began with houseful shows on day 1, netting Rs.64.85 crore net in India on its opening day. The figure was low given the film's scale, but it was still the fourth-highest opening in Bollywood history. On Friday, Ramayana began on a slower pace in...