Ramayana Adds ScreenX and 4DX to Global Release as Makers Push for a Premium-Theatre Event

The Celebrity Hour

Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana is widening its theatrical ambitions beyond the conventional big screen.

The first instalment of Namit Malhotra's two-part epic is set to receive a worldwide release in ScreenX and 4DX, adding two immersive cinema formats to a theatrical strategy that already includes IMAX. The arrangement with South Korean premium-cinema company CJ 4DPLEX is expected to place the film across nearly 1,300 ScreenX and 4DX auditoriums globally, according to an announcement from Prime Focus Studios reported by Variety India.

The ScreenX rollout is also being described as the first worldwide release of an Indian film in the format.

For Ramayana, the development is more than another technical specification. It fits into a much broader attempt by the makers to position the film as an international theatrical event rather than simply a large-scale Hindi-language release.

What ScreenX will actually change in Ramayana

ScreenX does not mean audiences will watch the entire film stretched continuously across three screens.

The format expands selected scenes beyond the central cinema screen and projects specially created imagery onto the auditorium's side walls, producing an approximately 270-degree field of view. For Ramayana, selected dramatic and action sequences are expected to receive this expanded treatment.

That distinction matters because ScreenX versions require sequences to be specifically formatted for the wider visual field. The additional side imagery is therefore part of a dedicated premium presentation rather than simply a projection setting applied automatically by cinemas.

The choice appears particularly relevant to a production whose makers have repeatedly emphasised landscapes, battles and large-scale visual storytelling.

Prime Focus had already confirmed that Ramayana was filmed for IMAX, establishing premium large-format exhibition as part of the film's strategy well before the ScreenX announcement.

4DX offers a very different experience

The 4DX version will approach immersion through physical effects rather than a wider image.

4DX auditoriums synchronise motion-enabled seating and environmental effects with events in a film. Depending on the sequence and auditorium, those effects can include movement, vibration, wind, water, lighting and other sensory cues.

Ramayana will contain sequences formatted specifically for its 4DX presentation as well.

This gives audiences several substantially different premium options: IMAX prioritises image scale and presentation, ScreenX expands selected visual material into the peripheral field, while 4DX adds physical effects to the viewing experience.

Ramayana's international release strategy is taking shape

The ScreenX and 4DX agreement is only one part of an increasingly global distribution plan.

Prime Focus Studios has officially confirmed that Sony Pictures will distribute the film in international markets, while Dharma Productions will handle distribution across North India's Hindi-speaking territories.

Prime Focus has described the project as a two-part live-action epic made for audiences worldwide. Part One arrives in 2026, while the second chapter is planned for 2027.

That global positioning was reinforced when the official trailer was released in five Indian languages in July. Prime Focus said at the time that the film was being developed with international-scale filmmaking, visual effects and technology, with Sony Pictures handling markets outside India.

Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi lead the ensemble

The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, with Sunny Deol playing Hanuman and Ravie Dubey appearing as Lakshman. Nitesh Tiwari directs the two-part project.

Prime Focus Studios is producing in collaboration with Yash's Monster Mind Creations, while DNEG and other Prime Focus Group companies are involved in the production and visual-effects pipeline.

The film also brings together A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer for its original score, another collaboration the producers have highlighted as part of the project's international creative scale.

Action choreography involves Terry Notary and Guy Norris, while Ravi Bansal and Ramsey Avery are credited with production design.

Why the ScreenX milestone matters

The ScreenX announcement is notable because Indian films have increasingly embraced premium theatrical formats, but Ramayana's rollout is being designed around several such formats simultaneously.

The nearly 1,300-auditorium ScreenX-and-4DX arrangement also indicates that the premium release is not being treated simply as a small domestic novelty. It is part of the film's international exhibition strategy.

That sits alongside Sony Pictures' overseas distribution involvement and the film's prior IMAX positioning, creating a clearer picture of how the producers intend to compete for audiences beyond India's conventional theatrical circuit.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The more significant story here isn't simply that Ramayana will be available in another cinema format. It is the stacking of premium formats around a single Indian production.

IMAX, ScreenX and 4DX sell different experiences, but they serve a similar commercial purpose: making the theatrical version feel materially different from eventually watching the same film at home. For a project built around large environments, visual effects and battle sequences, that strategy is particularly understandable.

The bigger test comes after release. Premium formats can amplify spectacle, but they cannot substitute for storytelling. If Ramayana can make its large-scale technology feel integral to the narrative rather than ornamental, its theatrical strategy may become more consequential for Indian tentpole filmmaking than the “first Indian film” label itself.