Aug 15, 2026 4:00pm IST
‘Ramayana’: Why the absence of ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ In China Could Give Nitesh Tiwari’s Epic An IMAX Edge
“Ramayana,” headlined by Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi, will enjoy a solo release in India. However, the Nitesh Tiwari film will face major competition in international markets from “Godzilla Minus Zero,” which releases on the same date - November 6. “Ramayana” releases in India on November 8.
While the Japanese kaiju movie might take a significant share of shows and screens in the overseas markets, “Ramayana” has the biggest advantage in the Chinese market.
“Godzilla Minus Zero” will release across all key markets, but it won’t be released in China, as the country has frozen the release of Japanese films since November 2025.
As per reports, China’s film regulator froze approvals for new Japanese films and suspended the release of several Japanese movies that had already been approved and had release dates since November 17, 2025.
In fact, the official website of “Godzilla Minus Zero” mentions all the key markets where it will be released, and China is not on the list.
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Clean China Run For ‘Ramayana’
With no release for “Godzilla Minus Zero,” the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer will enjoy a free run at the Chinese box office. Since the country has the maximum theaters in the world, if “Ramayana” gets a good number of screens, it will get a solid boost at the box office.
The IMAX Advantage
Apart from the normal screens, “Ramayana” has a chance to secure a large share of IMAX screens in China, which again holds the record for the most screens in this premium format.
Additionally, the localized dubbed version of the film, marketed there as “Ramayana: The Legend of the Prince,” has impressed Chinese audiences and positioned it as a large-scale cinematic spectacle, with people comparing it to the visual standards of their biggest blockbuster, “Ne Zha 2.”
While the film has huge potential in the Chinese market, it will be interesting to see whether that curiosity translates into theatrical business.
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