Final pre-sales covered about 11% of RRR's budget, 9–13% of Kalki's and about a fifth of Pushpa 2's. Ramayana's ten-days-out total covers 0.3% of its ₹4,000 Cr figure, though a live total is not a final record.
Back to the trend of the day: Yash plays the demon king Ravana in Ramayana: Part 1, opening November 5
Poly Rating · from the trend of the day
Most Expensive Indian Movies of All Time: Top 10 (2026)
Ramayana's budget is quoted at anything from ₹900 crore for Part 1 to ₹4,000 crore for both parts including promotion. Ten days out, its ₹11.81 crore of India pre-sales covers 0.3% of the top figure and 1.3% of the bottom.
- No. 1: Ramayana: Part 1 (2026)
- 10 places
01Final list
The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.
Order: from most to least AI agreement.
A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.
- 1
Ramayana: Part 1 (2026)
Live entry. The budget is quoted at ₹900 Cr (Part 1), ₹1,600 Cr or ₹4,000 Cr (both parts), or ₹2,000 Cr (Part 1). ₹11.81 Cr of pre-sales covers 0.3–1.3% of it.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen. Did not include: Kimi.In their lists: Claude: 1 · ChatGPT: 1 · Meta: 1 · Nemotron: 1 · Gemini: 1 · DeepSeek: 1 · Wenxin: 1 · Qwen: 1
What each AI noted 8
- Claudeplace 1
The ₹4,000 crore claim covers two films and promotion, so ₹11.9 crore of advance covers about 0.3% of it, or about 0.6% if you read it as ₹2,000 crore for one film.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 1
The ₹4,000 crore headline is for two films and global release costs; India's reported ₹11.81 crore advance covers only about 0.30% of that entire project figure.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 1
Rs 900cr production-only to Rs 2000cr even-split of Rs 4000cr total — 10-day advance Rs 11.93cr is 0.6% to 1.3% of Part1 cost
Source ↗ - Nemotronplace 1
Live entry: ₹1,600–4,000 cr claimed budget vs ₹11.81 cr advance (10 days out) — 0.3–0.7% of budget recovered pre-release
- Geminiplace 1
Carries an unprecedented ₹1,600 cr Part 1 budget and ₹4,000 cr ($500M) two-part global commitment, with early Day-1 pre-sales at ₹11.81 cr 10 days out.
- DeepSeekplace 1
The live entry: ₹11.81 crore ten days out, against a Part 1 budget that sources put anywhere from ₹900 crore to ₹2,000 crore — and ₹4,000 crore for both parts including promotion.
Source ↗ - Wenxinplace 1
A ₹4,000 cr two-film invoice or a ₹900 cr single — either way it dwarfs every other Indian budget on paper
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 1
Its ₹4,000 crore combined claim dwarfs all single-film budgets, though pre-sales of ₹11.81 crore at 10 days out must cover a massive release footprint.
Source ↗
8 AIs put it here - 2
Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
The costliest released film with one agreed figure, ₹600 Cr. Its final pre-sale is quoted at ₹55.3 Cr (Koimoi) or ₹76.2 Cr (IMDb ledger), 9–13% of budget.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen. Did not include: Kimi.In their lists: Claude: 3 · ChatGPT: 4 · Meta: 2 · Nemotron: 2 · Gemini: 2 · DeepSeek: 3 · Wenxin: 2 · Qwen: 2
What each AI noted 8
- Claudeplace 3
The list's single-figure leader at ₹600 crore, and a ₹114 crore gross on opening day.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 4
Its widely reported ₹600 crore budget makes it a cleaner single-film benchmark than Ramayana's ₹4,000 crore two-part headline.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 2
Rs 600cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 55.30cr was 9.2% of budget, lifetime India net Rs 646.31cr just over budget
Source ↗ - Nemotronplace 2
₹600 cr budget, ₹28 cr opening-day advance — 4.7% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹1,100 cr+
- Geminiplace 2
Cost ₹600 cr to construct its futuristic dystopian universe, recouping over 9% of its production bill before showtime via ₹55.3 cr in Day-1 pre-sales.
- DeepSeekplace 3
₹600 crore budget, ₹61.8 crore opening-day advance and ₹1,042 crore lifetime — the advance carried through to a ₹1,000-crore finish.
- Wenxinplace 2
₹600 cr reported budget with a ₹95 cr ten-day advance that became a ₹1,000 cr lifetime hit
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 2
The most expensive finished single film on record, recovering its ₹600 crore budget with ₹60 crore in advance and a ₹500 crore+ lifetime run.
Source ↗
8 AIs put it here - 3
RRR (2022)
₹550 Cr budget and about ₹59 Cr of opening-day pre-sales, roughly 11% of cost. The run carried through to ₹944 Cr of India lifetime gross.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen. Did not include: Kimi.In their lists: Claude: 5 · ChatGPT: 6 · Meta: 3 · Nemotron: 3 · Gemini: 3 · DeepSeek: 4 · Wenxin: 3 · Qwen: 3
What each AI noted 8
- Claudeplace 5
A ₹550 crore budget, with about ₹59 crore of opening-day advance. That was the all-time number three until Pushpa 2 passed it.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 6
At approximately ₹550 crore, RRR is a major single-film production-cost benchmark against which Ramayana's multi-film publicity figure needs careful adjustment.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 3
Rs 550cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 59cr was 10.7% of budget, lifetime India net Rs 782.2cr 1.42x budget
Source ↗ - Nemotronplace 3
₹550 cr budget, ₹35 cr opening-day advance — 6.4% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹1,200 cr+
- Geminiplace 3
Mounted at ₹550 cr by S.S. Rajamouli, locking in ₹58.7 cr in opening-day pre-sales and steamrolling to ₹1,387 cr globally and an Academy Award.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 4
₹550 crore budget, ₹59 crore opening-day advance and ₹1,275–1,309 crore lifetime — a strong advance that kept running.
Source ↗ - Wenxinplace 3
₹550 cr budget against ₹86 cr opening-day advance that more than doubled at the box office
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 3
A ₹550 crore investment that turned into a global phenomenon, backed by ₹30 crore in domestic day-one advance bookings.
Source ↗
8 AIs put it here - 4
Adipurush (2023)
The earlier Ramayana film: ₹500–700 Cr budget and ₹26.39 Cr of final pre-sales, then tickets cut to ₹150 and ₹112. Its ₹343 Cr India lifetime gross is below its lowest budget figure.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, Kimi, DeepSeek, Qwen. Did not include: Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 4 · ChatGPT: 3 · Meta: 4 · Nemotron: 7 · Gemini: 4 · Kimi: 3 · DeepSeek: 5 · Qwen: 4
What each AI noted 8
- Claudeplace 4
A Ramayana film with a ₹500–₹700 crore budget that cut tickets to ₹150 and then ₹112 after weak word of mouth. It is the cautionary comparison for Ramayana's premium pricing.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 3
A reported ₹500–700 crore production-scale epic whose financial ambition illustrates why expensive mythological spectacle is not automatically a commercial success.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 4
Rs 500-700cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 26.39cr Telugu+Hindi only 3.7% to 5.2% of budget, commercial failure
Source ↗ - Nemotronplace 7
₹500–700 cr budget, ₹22 cr opening-day advance — 3–4% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹350 cr (flop)
- Geminiplace 4
Inflated to ₹500–₹700 cr after extensive VFX reworks, gathering ₹26.5 cr in Day-1 advance before collapsing sharply to ₹393 cr lifetime.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 3
₹500–700 crore spent and ₹343 crore India lifetime — the cautionary tale Ramayana's makers are being measured against.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 5
₹500–700 crore budget, ₹26.39 crore advance, ₹353–393 crore lifetime — the most expensive Indian film at its release ended as a loss-maker.
- Qwenplace 4
Spent between ₹500 and ₹700 crore largely on VFX, yet its pre-release buzz couldn't prevent a historic theatrical collapse.
Source ↗
8 AIs put it here - 5
2.0 (2018)
₹400–600 Cr, the oldest film in this ten. No separate opening-day pre-sale figure was found, and its ₹519.65 Cr India lifetime gross falls inside its budget range.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen. Did not include: Kimi.In their lists: Claude: 6 · ChatGPT: 5 · Meta: 5 · Nemotron: 8 · Gemini: 5 · DeepSeek: 6 · Wenxin: 10 · Qwen: 6
What each AI noted 8
- Claudeplace 6
A ₹400–₹600 crore range, the widest gap of the finished films on the list after Toxic.
- ChatGPTplace 5
The Rajinikanth science-fiction spectacle has a reported ₹400–600 crore budget range, overlapping Kalki despite being released six years earlier.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 5
Rs 400-600cr budget — first Indian film to cross Rs 500cr budget, lifetime worldwide Rs 800cr+
Source ↗ - Nemotronplace 8
₹400–550 cr budget, ₹18 cr opening-day advance — 3–4.5% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹700 cr+
- Geminiplace 5
Pioneered India's mega-budget era at ₹400–₹600 cr with Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar, securing ₹33 cr Day-1 advance on its way to ₹723 cr.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 6
₹400–600 crore budget and ₹691 crore lifetime, but its opening-day advance is not separately reported — the data gap is part of its story.
Source ↗ - Wenxinplace 10
₹540–₹600 cr budget and a ₹47 cr opening-day advance that plateaued below cost
Source ↗ - Qwenplace 6
Shankar's sci-fi sequel stretched to ₹400-600 crore, setting the early benchmark for Indian VFX-heavy budgets before the pan-India boom.
Source ↗
8 AIs put it here - 6
Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)
₹400–500 Cr, but the biggest pre-sale on this list: ₹91.24 Cr in India without blocked seats (Sacnilk). Other reports give ₹64–105 Cr. India lifetime gross ₹1,381 Cr.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Kimi, DeepSeek, Qwen. Did not include: Nemotron, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 7 · ChatGPT: 7 · Meta: 6 · Gemini: 6 · Kimi: 8 · DeepSeek: 7 · Qwen: 5
What each AI noted 7
- Claudeplace 7
A ₹400–₹500 crore budget and ₹91.24 crore of India advance, so its opening-day pre-sale was about a fifth of the budget.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 7
A reported ₹400–500 crore production range places the sequel in the same broad spending class as several visual-effects-heavy epics.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 6
Rs 400-500cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 90cr+ is highest ever, 18% to 22.5% of budget covered before release
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 6
Expanded its production canvas to ₹400–₹500 cr, shattering pre-sales with ₹52 cr Day-1 advance and delivering ₹1,200 cr+ worldwide.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 8
₹105.5 crore in advances covered up to a quarter of its budget before release — the best cover ratio any Indian giant has ever posted.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 7
₹400–500 crore budget, ₹72 crore opening-day advance and ₹1,742 crore lifetime — one of the biggest advances in Indian cinema.
- Qwenplace 5
A ₹400-500 crore mass epic that secured its cost upfront with a staggering ₹64.10 crore gross in day-one advance bookings.
Source ↗
7 AIs put it here - 7
Toxic (2026)
The widest budget claim of any released film: ₹500–1,000 Cr (₹700–800 Cr at Gulf News). Two reports put its worldwide lifetime at ₹333–342 Cr, below even the lowest figure.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Kimi, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, Wenxin, Qwen.In their lists: Claude: 2 · ChatGPT: 2 · Kimi: 2 · DeepSeek: 2
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 2
Yash's other film. Its reported budget runs from ₹500 crore to ₹1,000 crore across sources.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 2
Reported budgets stretch from ₹500 crore to ₹1,000 crore, a twofold range that makes its position unusually dependent on which estimate is accepted.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 2
Claimed at up to ₹1,000 crore; a ₹342 crore worldwide total made it the costliest disappointment on this list.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 2
Yash’s ₹500–1,000 crore gangster epic opened to ₹43.64 crore in advance but finished at ₹333 crore worldwide — a cautionary tale on advance momentum.
Source ↗
4 AIs put it here - 8
The RajaSaab (2026)
₹400–450 Cr. A single community ledger logs ₹208.6 Cr worldwide lifetime, less than half of even its low budget figure.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Kimi. Did not include: Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.In their lists: Claude: 9 · ChatGPT: 9 · Kimi: 9
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 9
A ₹400–₹450 crore budget, one of the few 2026 releases in the top ten.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 9
A reported ₹400–450 crore budget makes it an expensive contender, but its cost range is narrower than several projects ranked above it.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 9
₹400–450 crore spent; a ₹208.6 crore worldwide run could not cover half of even the lower claim.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 9
The Greatest of All Time (GOAT) (2024)
₹380–400 Cr. Brahmāstra (₹375–400 Cr) sits just below it, so tenth place comes down to a ₹5 Cr difference in the low estimate.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Kimi. Did not include: Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.In their lists: Claude: 10 · ChatGPT: 10 · Kimi: 10
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 10
Tamil film with a ₹380–₹400 crore range, close to Brahmāstra and Game Changer.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 10
The Vijay film's reported ₹380–400 crore cost sits below the largest Indian epics but remains above the budgets of most mainstream productions.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 10
₹380–400 crore on de-ageing technology — the edge of India's ₹400-crore club, ranked here by a hair over Brahmāstra (₹375–400 Cr).
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 10
Game Changer (2025)
₹350–500 Cr, a range wide enough to place it anywhere from 7th to 11th here. No comparable pre-sale figure was found.
Included it: ChatGPT, Kimi. Did not include: Claude, Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.In their lists: ChatGPT: 8 · Kimi: 7
What each AI noted 2
2 AIs put it here
02Worth knowing
What the AIs noticed while building the list.
KGF: Chapter 2 was too cheap for this list at ₹100 Cr, but its final Day-1 advance was about ₹80.3 Cr, close to its whole budget. One report gives ₹53 Cr instead.
Yash defended the headline figure as a signal to audiences abroad: 'if we tell them we have made a small-budget film, they will dismiss our film.'
Koimoi expects Ramayana to fall just short of Dhurandhar 2's ₹52.35 Cr opening-day pre-sales, and well short of Pushpa 2's ₹91 Cr.
Even Ramayana's pre-sales are not one number: ₹11.81 Cr (Sacnilk), ₹12.78 Cr without blocked seats (Films Discourse), and ₹23.55 Cr with blocked seats.
03Questions people ask
What is the most expensive Indian movie?
Ramayana, at about ₹4,000 crore for both parts including post-production and promotion. Part 1 alone is reported at ₹900–2,000 crore.
Source ↗What is the most expensive Indian movie ever made?
Among released films, Kalki 2898 AD has the highest single agreed budget, ₹600 crore. Toxic's range reaches ₹1,000 crore and Adipurush's ₹700 crore, but those are ranges, not settled figures.
Source ↗Which is the most expensive movie in India?
Ramayana's two-part ₹4,000 crore figure is about 6.7 times Kalki 2898 AD's ₹600 crore. However, it covers two films plus release costs, while Kalki's figure is for one film.
Source ↗Why do sources give different Ramayana budgets?
They count different things. ₹1,600 crore is both parts without print and publicity (₹900 crore for Part 1, ₹700 crore for Part 2). ₹4,000 crore is both parts with promotion.
04How we counted
In plain words, no formulas.
1The question
Top 10 Most Expensive Indian Films: the Budget Each Source Claims Against the Money Paid Before Release
2Why this topic
The reader sees how much of each film's 'record' budget is a claim and how close audiences' money came to it before opening, which no budget list or box-office chart gives alone.
3Where it applies
India: Indian-made films with a reported production budget, plus Ramayana: Part 1 as a live entry
4What we looked at
- Reported production budget, shown as a low-to-high range across sources, with what each figure counts (production only, or release and promotion too; one part or two)
- India advance gross at a comparable distance from release (about ten days out), not only the final opening-day record
- Final opening-day advance and lifetime gross for finished films, to show whether a strong advance carried through
- Share of the lower and higher budget figure that pre-sales cover
- Wikipedia, List of most expensive Indian films — Production budgets from published estimates, shown as ranges, some including promotion. Ramayana is not on the list.
- Yash's statement (Hindustan Times, The Hindu) — About ₹4,000 Cr for Ramayana Parts 1 and 2 combined, including post-production and promotion
- Sacnilk, citing Bollywood Hungama — Ramayana at ₹1,600 Cr for both parts excluding print and publicity: ₹900 Cr for Part 1 and ₹700 Cr for Part 2
- Sacnilk via NDTV, and Films Discourse — Ramayana's live India advance ten days before release: gross, tickets and blocked seats
5Who ranked
The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Nemotron, Gemini, Kimi, DeepSeek, Wenxin, Qwen.
6How the places were set
The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.
05Each AI's own list
🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 3 notes
The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ramayana: Part 1 (2026), live entry
The ₹4,000 crore claim covers two films and promotion, so ₹11.9 crore of advance covers about 0.3% of it, or about 0.6% if you read it as ₹2,000 crore for one film.
Source ↗ - 2Toxic (2026)
Yash's other film. Its reported budget runs from ₹500 crore to ₹1,000 crore across sources.
Source ↗ - 3Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
The list's single-figure leader at ₹600 crore, and a ₹114 crore gross on opening day.
Source ↗ - 4Adipurush (2023)
A Ramayana film with a ₹500–₹700 crore budget that cut tickets to ₹150 and then ₹112 after weak word of mouth. It is the cautionary comparison for Ramayana's premium pricing.
Source ↗ - 5RRR (2022)
A ₹550 crore budget, with about ₹59 crore of opening-day advance. That was the all-time number three until Pushpa 2 passed it.
Source ↗ - 62.0 (2018)
A ₹400–₹600 crore range, the widest gap of the finished films on the list after Toxic.
- 7Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)
A ₹400–₹500 crore budget and ₹91.24 crore of India advance, so its opening-day pre-sale was about a fifth of the budget.
Source ↗ - 8Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022)
₹375–₹400 crore for a Hindi film.
Source ↗ - 9The RajaSaab (2026)
A ₹400–₹450 crore budget, one of the few 2026 releases in the top ten.
Source ↗ - 10The Greatest of All Time (2024)
Tamil film with a ₹380–₹400 crore range, close to Brahmāstra and Game Changer.
Source ↗
What Claude noticed
Ramayana's ₹4,000 crore is roughly six times the next-highest reported budget (₹600–₹700 crore range), but sources disagree on whether it is one film or two.
Pre-sales cover about 0.3% of the larger budget figure, so the money in hand says little about whether the film will recover its cost.
Koimoi expects Ramayana to fall just short of Dhurandhar 2's ₹52.35 crore opening-day pre-sales, and says it cannot match Pushpa 2's ₹91 crore.
🇺🇸 ChatGPT10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by ChatGPT alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ramayana: Part 1 (2026)
The ₹4,000 crore headline is for two films and global release costs; India's reported ₹11.81 crore advance covers only about 0.30% of that entire project figure.
Source ↗ - 2Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups (2026)
Reported budgets stretch from ₹500 crore to ₹1,000 crore, a twofold range that makes its position unusually dependent on which estimate is accepted.
Source ↗ - 3Adipurush (2023)
A reported ₹500–700 crore production-scale epic whose financial ambition illustrates why expensive mythological spectacle is not automatically a commercial success.
Source ↗ - 4Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
Its widely reported ₹600 crore budget makes it a cleaner single-film benchmark than Ramayana's ₹4,000 crore two-part headline.
Source ↗ - 52.0 (2018)
The Rajinikanth science-fiction spectacle has a reported ₹400–600 crore budget range, overlapping Kalki despite being released six years earlier.
Source ↗ - 6RRR (2022)
At approximately ₹550 crore, RRR is a major single-film production-cost benchmark against which Ramayana's multi-film publicity figure needs careful adjustment.
Source ↗ - 7Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)
A reported ₹400–500 crore production range places the sequel in the same broad spending class as several visual-effects-heavy epics.
Source ↗ - 8Game Changer (2025)
Its ₹350–500 crore reported budget range overlaps Pushpa 2's lower end, showing how budget uncertainty can reverse the apparent ranking.
Source ↗ - 9The RajaSaab (2026)
A reported ₹400–450 crore budget makes it an expensive contender, but its cost range is narrower than several projects ranked above it.
Source ↗ - 10The Greatest of All Time (2024)
The Vijay film's reported ₹380–400 crore cost sits below the largest Indian epics but remains above the budgets of most mainstream productions.
Source ↗
What ChatGPT noticed
Ramayana's ₹4,000 crore publicity figure is approximately 6.7 times Kalki 2898 AD's reported ₹600 crore, but the former includes two films and release expenses while the latter is presented as one film's budget.
Ramayana's ₹11.81 crore India advance represents 1.31% of a hypothetical ₹900 crore Part 1 cost, 0.74% of ₹1,600 crore and 0.59% of ₹2,000 crore. These are sensitivity calculations, not verified cost-recovery ratios.
The two Ramayana trackers differ by ₹0.97 crore in advance gross excluding blocked seats, a reminder that even pre-release revenue is not a single universally agreed measurement.
Yash explicitly argues that international marketing and release costs are part of the project's global commercial strategy. Critics assessing the investment against domestic ticket sales alone therefore use a narrower revenue base than the producers envisage.
🇺🇸 Meta10 places · 3 notes
The same question, answered by Meta alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ramayana: Part 1 (2026)
Rs 900cr production-only to Rs 2000cr even-split of Rs 4000cr total — 10-day advance Rs 11.93cr is 0.6% to 1.3% of Part1 cost
Source ↗ - 2Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
Rs 600cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 55.30cr was 9.2% of budget, lifetime India net Rs 646.31cr just over budget
Source ↗ - 3RRR (2022)
Rs 550cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 59cr was 10.7% of budget, lifetime India net Rs 782.2cr 1.42x budget
Source ↗ - 4Adipurush (2023)
Rs 500-700cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 26.39cr Telugu+Hindi only 3.7% to 5.2% of budget, commercial failure
Source ↗ - 52.0 (2018)
Rs 400-600cr budget — first Indian film to cross Rs 500cr budget, lifetime worldwide Rs 800cr+
Source ↗ - 6Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)
Rs 400-500cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 90cr+ is highest ever, 18% to 22.5% of budget covered before release
Source ↗ - 7Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
Rs 250cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 80-100cr was 32% to 40% of budget, lifetime India net Rs 1030.42cr 4.1x budget
Source ↗ - 8KGF: Chapter 2 (2022)
Rs 100cr Kannada table budget — final Day1 advance Rs 80.50cr was 80.5% of budget, rare advance almost equals cost
Source ↗ - 9Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva (2022)
Rs 375-400cr budget — final Day1 advance not in top 5, lifetime India net Rs 257cr below low budget
Source ↗ - 10Saaho (2019)
Rs 325-350cr budget — final Day1 advance Rs 35cr was 10% of budget, first pan-India Rs 300cr+ Telugu-Hindi film
Source ↗
What Meta noticed
Ramayana Part1 even-split Rs 2000cr is 3.33x Kalki 600cr current record holder — if counted as Rs 4000cr total both parts it's 6.66x, but Yash says 4000cr includes marketing for both films
At 10 days out Ramayana Rs 11.93cr is far below final advances of Baahubali2 80cr and KGF2 80.5cr, but comparable to early stage of Kalki which ended at 55.3cr — final 2 days drive 60% of pre-sales
KGF Chapter2 advance 80.5% of its Rs 100cr budget is highest budget recovery before release; Ramayana 0.6% shows scale risk — needs Rs 1200cr worldwide gross to break even per model
🇺🇸 Nemotron10 places
The same question, answered by Nemotron alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ramayana: Part 1 (2026)
Live entry: ₹1,600–4,000 cr claimed budget vs ₹11.81 cr advance (10 days out) — 0.3–0.7% of budget recovered pre-release
- 2Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
₹600 cr budget, ₹28 cr opening-day advance — 4.7% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹1,100 cr+
- 3RRR (2022)
₹550 cr budget, ₹35 cr opening-day advance — 6.4% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹1,200 cr+
- 4Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
₹250 cr budget, ₹38 cr opening-day advance — 15.2% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹1,800 cr+
- 5KGF: Chapter 2 (2022)
₹100 cr budget, ₹42 cr opening-day advance — 42% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹1,200 cr+
- 6Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023)
₹270 cr budget, ₹24 cr opening-day advance — 8.9% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹600 cr+
- 7Adipurush (2023)
₹500–700 cr budget, ₹22 cr opening-day advance — 3–4% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹350 cr (flop)
- 82.0 (2018)
₹400–550 cr budget, ₹18 cr opening-day advance — 3–4.5% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹700 cr+
- 9Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022)
₹375–410 cr budget, ₹16 cr opening-day advance — ~4% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹430 cr
- 10Saaho (2019)
₹300–350 cr budget, ₹14 cr opening-day advance — 4–4.7% pre-sale coverage; lifetime ₹430 cr
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places
The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ramayana (Part 1 & 2) (2026)
Carries an unprecedented ₹1,600 cr Part 1 budget and ₹4,000 cr ($500M) two-part global commitment, with early Day-1 pre-sales at ₹11.81 cr 10 days out.
- 2Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
Cost ₹600 cr to construct its futuristic dystopian universe, recouping over 9% of its production bill before showtime via ₹55.3 cr in Day-1 pre-sales.
- 3RRR (2022)
Mounted at ₹550 cr by S.S. Rajamouli, locking in ₹58.7 cr in opening-day pre-sales and steamrolling to ₹1,387 cr globally and an Academy Award.
Source ↗ - 4Adipurush (2023)
Inflated to ₹500–₹700 cr after extensive VFX reworks, gathering ₹26.5 cr in Day-1 advance before collapsing sharply to ₹393 cr lifetime.
Source ↗ - 52.0 (2018)
Pioneered India's mega-budget era at ₹400–₹600 cr with Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar, securing ₹33 cr Day-1 advance on its way to ₹723 cr.
Source ↗ - 6Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)
Expanded its production canvas to ₹400–₹500 cr, shattering pre-sales with ₹52 cr Day-1 advance and delivering ₹1,200 cr+ worldwide.
Source ↗ - 7Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023)
Cost ₹400 cr under Prashanth Neel, turning a ₹49.0 cr Day-1 advance into a blistering ₹705 cr worldwide gross.
- 8Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022)
Incurred ₹375–₹410 cr in heavy world-building assets shared across a trilogy, converting ₹19.6 cr in Day-1 pre-sales into ₹431 cr worldwide.
Source ↗ - 9Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
Cost just ₹250 cr yet established the gold standard of Indian cinema with ₹100+ cr Day-1 advance booking and a staggering ₹1,810 cr lifetime run.
- 10K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022)
Mounted at ₹100–₹150 cr, it generated an astronomical ₹80.0 cr Day-1 advance—recovering over 50% of its entire budget before a single reel rolled.
🇨🇳 Kimi10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Kimi alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ramayana: Part 1 (2026)
₹11.93 crore in pre-sales ten days out equals 0.3% of the ₹4,000 crore two-part bill — or 1.3% of the ₹900 crore Part-1 figure trade reports.
Source ↗ - 2Toxic (2026)
Claimed at up to ₹1,000 crore; a ₹342 crore worldwide total made it the costliest disappointment on this list.
Source ↗ - 3Adipurush (2023)
₹500–700 crore spent and ₹343 crore India lifetime — the cautionary tale Ramayana's makers are being measured against.
Source ↗ - 4Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
₹76.2 crore in final advances banked about 13% of its ₹600 crore budget before a single show played.
Source ↗ - 52.0 (2018)
₹400–600 crore — the first Indian production to price itself like a Hollywood tentpole, and it nearly paid off.
Source ↗ - 6RRR (2022)
₹59 crore opening-day advance on a ₹550 crore budget; ₹944 crore India lifetime made it the safest bet on this list.
Source ↗ - 7Game Changer (2025)
₹350–500 crore claimed — the widest budget range of any released film here, and the least pre-release certainty to match.
Source ↗ - 8Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)
₹105.5 crore in advances covered up to a quarter of its budget before release — the best cover ratio any Indian giant has ever posted.
Source ↗ - 9The RajaSaab (2026)
₹400–450 crore spent; a ₹208.6 crore worldwide run could not cover half of even the lower claim.
Source ↗ - 10The Greatest of All Time (GOAT) (2024)
₹380–400 crore on de-ageing technology — the edge of India's ₹400-crore club, ranked here by a hair over Brahmāstra (₹375–400 Cr).
Source ↗
What Kimi noticed
Cover ratio is the hidden leaderboard: Pushpa 2's ₹105.5 Cr advance covered 21–26% of its budget before release, Kalki's ₹76.2 Cr covered ~13%, RRR's ₹59 Cr ~11% — while Ramayana's ₹11.93 Cr at D-10 covers just 0.3% of the ₹4,000 Cr headline figure, though it is still ten days from release with shows still rolling out.
The best pre-sales story belongs to the cheapest film here: KGF Chapter 2's Day-1 advance of ₹80.30 Cr nearly equalled its entire ₹100 Cr budget before the first show, on the way to a ₹1,008 Cr India lifetime.
Budget size and outcome are barely correlated at the top: Dhurandhar 2 was made for ~₹250 Cr and grossed ₹1,714.8 Cr worldwide, while Toxic (₹500–1,000 Cr) and The RajaSaab (₹400–450 Cr) could not recover their costs — the risk lives in the ₹400 Cr-and-above tier.
Yash sits on both ends of the record: his production Ramayana carries the ₹4,000 Cr two-part claim, and he personally defended the number abroad — 'if we tell them we have made a small-budget film, they will dismiss our film' — even as trade outlets priced Part 1 at ₹900 Cr.
🇨🇳 DeepSeek10 places · 2 notes
The same question, answered by DeepSeek alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ramayana: Part 1 (2026)
The live entry: ₹11.81 crore ten days out, against a Part 1 budget that sources put anywhere from ₹900 crore to ₹2,000 crore — and ₹4,000 crore for both parts including promotion.
Source ↗ - 2Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups (2026)
Yash’s ₹500–1,000 crore gangster epic opened to ₹43.64 crore in advance but finished at ₹333 crore worldwide — a cautionary tale on advance momentum.
Source ↗ - 3Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
₹600 crore budget, ₹61.8 crore opening-day advance and ₹1,042 crore lifetime — the advance carried through to a ₹1,000-crore finish.
- 4RRR (2022)
₹550 crore budget, ₹59 crore opening-day advance and ₹1,275–1,309 crore lifetime — a strong advance that kept running.
Source ↗ - 5Adipurush (2023)
₹500–700 crore budget, ₹26.39 crore advance, ₹353–393 crore lifetime — the most expensive Indian film at its release ended as a loss-maker.
- 62.0 (2018)
₹400–600 crore budget and ₹691 crore lifetime, but its opening-day advance is not separately reported — the data gap is part of its story.
Source ↗ - 7Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)
₹400–500 crore budget, ₹72 crore opening-day advance and ₹1,742 crore lifetime — one of the biggest advances in Indian cinema.
- 8Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
₹250 crore budget, ₹36 crore advance and ₹1,788–1,810 crore lifetime — the original pan-India benchmark that still ranks among the all-time top three.
- 9KGF: Chapter 2 (2022)
₹100–150 crore budget, ₹53 crore advance and ₹1,200–1,215 crore lifetime — the best budget-to-gross ratio in this top 10.
- 10Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023)
₹270 crore budget, ₹49 crore advance and ₹617–700 crore lifetime — a strong opening that settled into a mid-range lifetime.
What DeepSeek noticed
Ramayana’s budget ambiguity is the story: ₹4,000 crore covers both parts plus post-production and promotion, while Part 1 alone is reported at ₹900 crore by some trade sources — the choice of denominator changes its rank more than any other film here.
Toxic’s opening-day advance (₹43.64 crore) was nearly four times Ramayana’s ten-day total (₹11.81 crore), but Toxic’s lifetime gross was only ₹333 crore — advance momentum does not guarantee legs.
🇨🇳 Wenxin10 places · 2 notes
The same question, answered by Wenxin alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ramayana: Part 1 (2026, India)
A ₹4,000 cr two-film invoice or a ₹900 cr single — either way it dwarfs every other Indian budget on paper
Source ↗ - 2Kalki 2898 AD (2024, India)
₹600 cr reported budget with a ₹95 cr ten-day advance that became a ₹1,000 cr lifetime hit
Source ↗ - 3RRR (2022, India)
₹550 cr budget against ₹86 cr opening-day advance that more than doubled at the box office
Source ↗ - 4Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017, India)
₹250 cr budget and a ₹72 cr opening-day advance that became the first ₹1,000 cr net Indian film
Source ↗ - 5KGF: Chapter 2 (2022, India)
₹100 cr budget, ₹85 cr opening-day advance — the highest advance-to-budget ratio in the top ten
Source ↗ - 6Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023, India)
₹250 cr budget, ₹70 cr opening-day advance, ₹300+ cr net lifetime — an efficient spend
Source ↗ - 7Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022, India)
₹410 cr reported budget with a ₹57 cr opening-day advance that barely broke even
Source ↗ - 8Animal (2023, India)
₹200 cr budget, ₹56 cr opening-day advance that delivered a ₹633 cr net — the year's profit machine
Source ↗ - 9Jawan (2023, India)
₹240 cr budget, ₹65 cr opening-day advance, ₹1,130 cr net — Shah Rukh's blockbuster arithmetic
Source ↗ - 102.0 (2018, India)
₹540–₹600 cr budget and a ₹47 cr opening-day advance that plateaued below cost
Source ↗
What Wenxin noticed
Ramayana's ₹4,000 cr two-part figure would be five times Baahubali 2's ₹250 cr budget — but only if you count promotion, which most older films do not.
Brahmāstra's ₹410 cr budget and ₹270 cr net show the biggest gap between cost and return among the top ten — a cautionary tale for big-budget spectacle.
🇨🇳 Qwen10 places · 3 notes
The same question, answered by Qwen alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Ramayana: Part 1 (2026)
Its ₹4,000 crore combined claim dwarfs all single-film budgets, though pre-sales of ₹11.81 crore at 10 days out must cover a massive release footprint.
Source ↗ - 2Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
The most expensive finished single film on record, recovering its ₹600 crore budget with ₹60 crore in advance and a ₹500 crore+ lifetime run.
Source ↗ - 3RRR (2022)
A ₹550 crore investment that turned into a global phenomenon, backed by ₹30 crore in domestic day-one advance bookings.
Source ↗ - 4Adipurush (2023)
Spent between ₹500 and ₹700 crore largely on VFX, yet its pre-release buzz couldn't prevent a historic theatrical collapse.
Source ↗ - 5Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)
A ₹400-500 crore mass epic that secured its cost upfront with a staggering ₹64.10 crore gross in day-one advance bookings.
Source ↗ - 62.0 (2018)
Shankar's sci-fi sequel stretched to ₹400-600 crore, setting the early benchmark for Indian VFX-heavy budgets before the pan-India boom.
Source ↗ - 7Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
Cost ₹250 crore alone (₹430 crore for the duology) and became the first Indian film to cross ₹100 crore in day-one advance bookings.
Source ↗ - 8Ponniyin Selvan: I & II (2022/2023)
Mani Ratnam's back-to-back historicals were mounted on a combined ₹500 crore budget, relying on steady theatrical runs rather than explosive day-one advances.
Source ↗ - 9Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022)
Astral effects and years of delays pushed the budget to ₹375-400 crore, requiring massive holiday footfalls to turn a profit.
Source ↗ - 10Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023)
Spent ₹270-300 crore on dark, gritty action, pulling in a strong ₹30.96 crore gross on opening day advance to secure its core costs.
Source ↗
What Qwen noticed
The budget denominator is unsettled for Ramayana: Yash confirmed ₹4,000 crore for both parts including post-production and promotion, while trade reports put Part 1's production cost nearer to ₹900 crore or ₹2,000 crore.
Baahubali 2 was the first Indian film to cross the ₹100 crore milestone in day-one advance bookings (excluding blocked seats), setting the template for modern pre-sale momentum.
Pushpa 2 registered ₹64.10 crore gross in day-one advance bookings, selling 19.72 lakh+ tickets, showing massive pre-release recovery against its ₹400-500 crore budget.