Rishab Shetty's Kantara: Chapter 1 continues its dream run at the box office, with reports suggesting that the film's worldwide collection is nearing Rs 100 crore, including its paid premiers.
This is in stark contrast to Kantara which, according to the industry tracker Sacnilk, only grossed Rs 2.8 crore from theatres worldwide.
Reports put the whopping initial box office collection of Kantara: Chapter 1 down to the positive response for the film in all the languages it has been released theatrically. The film's Hindi version in fact has reportedly earned Rs 19.5 crore on its opening day, slightly more than its own Kannada version.
This is the fifth highest opening in the Hindi belt this year, taking it ahead of Raid 2, starring Ajay Devgn and Riteish Deshmukh. The only other films to have had higher opening day collection than the latest entry in the Kantara franchise are Chhaava, War 2, Housefull 5, and Saiyaara, respectively.
The film explores Kaadubettu Shiva's (Rishab) origins, dating back to the days of the Kadamba dynasty. It also stars Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah, and Jayaram, among others.
Rishab, who also directed the film, recently recalled his struggles at the start of his career on social media. Referring to his directorial debut Ricky, he wrote, "From struggling to get one evening show in 2016 to 5000+ houseful shows in 2025, this journey is nothing but your love, support, and God's grace. Forever grateful to every single person who made this possible."