Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1 has achieved a historic milestone at the box office. The Kannada period action epic has completed its first week in theatres with extraordinary numbers, surpassing Rs 400 crore worldwide and setting multiple new records.
Highest Grossing Film In Its Opening Week
In just seven days, Kantara Chapter 1 has grossed an estimated Rs 379 crore ($42 million) in India and another $8 million (Rs 67 crore) from overseas markets, taking its worldwide total to around $53 million (Rs 446 crore).
This feat makes it the top-grossing film globally for the week, ahead of Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl ($50 million), Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another ($40 million), and the re-released Avatar: The Way of Water, which earned under $10 million in the same period.
The film has now become the highest-grossing film in the world in its opening week, outperforming major Hollywood releases.
Fourth Kannada Film To Cross Rs 150 Crore Mark
In India, the film opened Rs 61.85 crore on Dussehra, followed by Rs 46 crore on Friday, Rs 55 crore on Saturday, and Rs 61.5 crore on Sunday, bringing its opening weekend total to Rs 224.35 crore.
By the end of its fourth day, it had already surpassed the lifetime collections of Ram Charan's Game Changer, which earned Rs 195 crore earlier this year.
The film also went on to beat Salman Khan's Sikandar, which made Rs 176 crore in total.
With this, Kantara Chapter 1 became the highest-grossing Kannada film of 2025 so far, overtaking Su From So (Rs 125 crore), and became only the fourth Kannada film ever to cross the Rs 150 crore mark - doing so in record time.
Kantara Chapter 1 Sold 1.28 Million Tickets
According to trade site Sacnilk, Kantara Chapter 1 earned:
- Kannada: Rs 18 crore
- Telugu: Rs 12.5 crore
- Hindi: Rs 19.5 crore
- Tamil: Rs 5.25 crore
- Malayalam: Rs 4.75 crore
In total, the film sold an impressive 1.28 million tickets in the first 24 hours, marking one of the biggest openings ever for a Kannada production.
The Hindi version crossed Rs 100 crore nett by Wednesday, followed closely by the Kannada version, which achieved the same milestone by Friday. The Telugu version, too, has surpassed Rs 60 crore, while the Tamil and Malayalam dubs have earned over Rs 20 crore each.
One Of The Biggest Openings of 2025
Kantara Chapter 1 registered the third-highest single-day collection of 2025, behind Rajinikanth's Coolie Coolie (Rs 65 crore) and Pawan Kalyan's They Call Him OG (Rs 63.75 crore).
It also outperformed the opening day numbers of Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava (Rs 52 crore) and Saiyaara, the previous record holder for opening day collections.
In the Hindi market, Kantara Chapter 1 recorded an estimated Rs 19-21 crore opening, making it the second-highest opening ever for a Kannada film in Hindi, after KGF Chapter 2 (Rs 54 crore).
Kantara Chapter 1 Enters Top 10 Highest-Grossing Films Of The Year
With its phenomenal run, Kantara Chapter 1 has already entered the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2025 within its first week. The film's net India total stands at around Rs 316 crore, with a gross worldwide total crossing Rs 400 crore, making it the second-highest-grossing Kannada film of all time, just behind KGF Chapter 2.
The film's wide release strategy - 4,700 shows in Hindi and over 1,500 in Kannada, with extensive reach across Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam markets - has played a major role in its box office domination.
A Historic Success Story
Written and directed by Rishab Shetty, Kantara Chapter 1 stars Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah, and Jayaram in pivotal roles. Serving as a prequel to the 2022 blockbuster Kantara, it is set a thousand years before the events of the original film.
The film has been lauded by critics and audiences alike for its scale, storytelling, and rooted themes. Following the overwhelming response, Rishab Shetty has confirmed that a third installment, Kantara Chapter 2, is in development.
