India, Nov. 6 -- It had everything going for it - the biggest budget in Indian cinema history, the widest release, a Hollywood studio's backing, and full-scale promotions in the West. Yet, Nitesh Tiwari and Namit Malhotra's Ramayana came up short at the box office. The film had a strong start at the domestic box office, but its global box-office numbers did not justify the scale on which the film was mounted. Ramayana still minted over Rs.100 crore worldwide on its opening day, but failed to enter the top 15 biggest openings for Indian films, lagging behind even Adipurush.

The Ranbir Kapoor and Yash-starrer opened to great reviews on Thursday, with initial audience reactions largely positive. Yet that did not drive footfall momentum very...