Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1, the prequel to his National Award-winning film Kantara (2022), continues to make waves at the box office. The film, which minted Rs 100 crore in two days, scripted a string of records over the weekend.
Surpassed the Lifetime Collections of Ram Charan's Game Changer
The film's four-day domestic total has now surpassed the lifetime collection of Ram Charan's Game Changer.
It opened strong with Rs 61.85 crore on Dussehra, followed by Rs 46 crore on Friday and Rs 55 crore on Saturday, and Rs 61.5 crore on Sunday. The impressive total made the film the highest-grossing Kannada film of 2025 so far. Previously, Su From So held the number one position, minting Rs 125 crore.
Ram Charan's Telugu drama Game Changer, released in January this year, minted Rs 195 crore. Mounted on a whopping budget of Rs 350-500 crore, the film fell flat at the box office.
Other Records
Kantara Chapter 1 became only the fourth Kannada film to cross the Rs 150 crore mark, achieving that feat in record time.
It also surpassed the lifetime collections of Salman Khan's Sikandar. Released in March, the film minted Rs 176 crore.
On its opening day, Kantara Chapter 1 entered the top 10 highest-grossing films of the year.
It emerged as the third highest-grossing film of the year, next to Rajinikanth's Coolie Coolie (Rs 65 crore) and Pawan Kalyan's They Call Him OG (Rs 63.75 crore).
It also surpassed Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava (Rs 52 crore) and Saiyaara (the previous record holder for opening day collections). On its opening day, Kantara Chapter 1 minted Rs 61.85 crore.
About The Kantara Franchise
Kantara Chapter 1 has been directed by Rishab Shetty, who shares writing credits with Anirudh Mahesh and Shanil Guru.
The film stars Rishab Shetty, Jayaram, Rukmini Vasanth, and Gulshan Devaiah in lead roles.
Kantara Chapter 1 is the prequel to the 2022 film Kantara, which was also directed by Rishab Shetty, who played the lead role in the original film.
Rishab Shetty won the Best Actor National Award for Kantara in 2024. The film also won the National Award in the category of Best Popular Film.
Review of Kantara Chapter 1
In his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee wrote, "Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1 is a manic, sometimes befuddling, mix of history, myth, cinematic craft, and performative power. When the disparate components and conceits blend well, it is an undeniably compelling watch.
At all other times, it is immersive enough to keep the audience glued to the screen in an attempt to scan and decipher the riot of colours, the grand gestures, the larger-than-life action sequences, and the portentous dialogue that have gone into the project."