Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 continues its dream run at the box office, holding strong through its second weekend. The mythological action epic, which opened to record numbers on Dussehra, has now
crossed Rs 438 crore in India within just 11 days — a milestone that cements its place among the year’s biggest Indian releases.
On its second Sunday, the film collected Rs 39.77 crore net across India, according to film-industry tracker Sacnilk. That’s a 1.97 per cent rise from Saturday’s numbers, proving that strong word-of-mouth and repeat viewings are keeping theatres packed.
A thunderous second weekend
Kantara Chapter 1 made an explosive start on October 2 with Rs 61.85 crore net on Day 1. Film-trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared on X, “#KantaraChapter1 emerges a HIT… As expected, the film witnessed superb growth [102.39%] on its second Saturday, further cementing its status… #Maharashtra continues to drive the business for the #Hindi version.”
He further added, “The Sunday numbers are expected to give its already-impressive total an even bigger boost… Should hit the Rs 150 cr mark [today].”
Day 11 saw an overall 79.33 per cent Kannada occupancy and 33.42 per cent Hindi occupancy — remarkable figures for its second weekend.
A record-breaking run
At the domestic box office, Kantara Chapter 1 has reached Rs 438.42 crore in India. Worldwide, the film has grossed Rs 560 crore in 10 days — Rs 476.75 crore from India and Rs 83.25 crore from overseas markets, as per Sacnilk.
The prequel to the 2022 hit Kantara now stands as the second-highest-grossing Kannada film ever and the highest Kannada earner of 2025. It also ranks among this year’s top-grossing Indian films — a rare achievement for a regional production.
The world of Kantara
Produced by Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda under Hombale Films, Kantara Chapter 1 stars Rishab Shetty alongside Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah, and Jayaram. Set in pre-colonial coastal Karnataka, the film dives deep into the origins of the Buta Kola ritual and the lore that inspired the first film.
Kantara Chapter 1 review
News18 Showsha gave the film 3.5 stars. An excerpt from the review read, “In a time when stories rooted in Indian culture are winning big at the box office, Kantara’s prequel needed a special hinge to avoid being labelled as ‘just another folklore film’. The heart of Kantara: Chapter 1 is its music (B Ajaneesh Loknath) and visual teams. The background score and the use of classical music to drive scenes are brilliant. Similarly, the cinematography (Arvind S Kashyap) and the VFX teams deserve all the accolades for creating a texturally rich film with believable effects. The attention to detail, especially the emotions of animals, is commendable.”