Ramayana and Godzilla Minus Zero take box office top two in a foreign-language first

Hindi-language epic Ramayana: Part One and Japanese-language Godzilla Minus Zero finished first and second at the Australian box office over the weekend. According to Val Morgan Cinema, it is the first time two foreign-language films have held the top two spots across a weekend in Australia, a result the company credits to younger, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) audiences.

Ramayana took $2.7 million from 117,000 admissions. Godzilla Minus Zero took $1.6 million from 55,000 admissions. The pair also held the top two positions on opening day.

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Record openings for Bollywood and Japanese cinema

Ramayana recorded the second-biggest opening for a Bollywood film in Australia. Only Dhurandhar: The Revenge has opened bigger, so the market's two biggest Bollywood openings have both come in 2026.

The film is the first instalment of a two-part adaptation. It was filmed for IMAX and released for Diwali. Val Morgan said the production carries the biggest budget in Indian film history, and that its trailer was the first from India to pass one billion views.

Godzilla Minus Zero recorded the third-biggest opening for a Japanese film in Australia and the biggest for a Japanese live-action film. According to Val Morgan, the biggest and third-biggest Japanese openings in Australia have both come in the past 12 months.

Admissions up 20% year on year

Admissions were up 20% on the same weekend last year, and year-to-date admissions are up 19%. Val Morgan expects audiences to keep growing, with a new blockbuster due to open each week before the holidays.

Val Morgan called the weekend a milestone for CALD audiences. The company said Ramayana drew Indian Australian communities, while Godzilla Minus Zero took Japanese cinema to a mainstream audience. Two in three cinema-goers were aged 18–39, according to Val Morgan.

“This weekend shows how much Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse audiences are shaping cinema,” said Guy Burbidge, Managing Director, Val Morgan Cinema.

“Two films in two different languages outsold every English-language release in the country, driven by young Australians who see a film like Ramayana or Godzilla as a must-see event, wherever it comes from. For brands, the message is clear: CALD audiences are turning up to cinemas in force, and the big screen is one of the best places to reach them.”

Val Morgan has nicknamed the pairing “Ramazilla”. The name puts it alongside earlier double-bill hits such as Barbenheimer, the July 2023 joint release of Barbie and Oppenheimer.