The advance booking of actor-director Rishab Shetty’s ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ is inching closer towards the Rs 20 crore mark. The supernatural action-drama has so far earned over Rs 18 crore pre-release.
Kantara Chapter 1 sells over 57,000 tickets
‘Kantara Chapter 1’ collected Rs 11.46 crore (without block seats) for 11,800 shows, as reported by Sacnilk. The report further noted that with block seats, the number stands at Rs 18.95 crore. Block seats are typically reserved for last-minute bookings, promotions, or studio schemes. The movie has already sold over 4 lakh tickets for its opening day across India.
The majority of ticket bookings are from the Kannada-speaking region, with 2,14,933 tickets sold for 1,780 shows, according to the report. While the original film achieved cult status, the prequel has struggled to build similar momentum in the Hindi belt. So far, advance bookings have generated over Rs 1.9 crore, with approximately 57,000 tickets sold for 6,393 shows in the region.
Kantara: Chapter 1 lags behind KGF 2, Chhaava
‘Kantara Chapter 1’ has also resonated with Tamil and Telugu audiences, selling 39,270 and 33,492 tickets respectively, the report stated. The Malayalam version is performing exceptionally well, with 53,957 tickets sold across just 1,236 shows. However, its advance sales still fall short when compared to other blockbuster films. For instance, the Kannada version of ‘KGF 2’ alone had advance sales of Rs 17.95 crore (without block seats) on its opening day. Similarly, ‘Chhaava’, one of this year’s top-grossing movies, recorded day-one advance sales of Rs 13.79 crore (without block seats).
About Kantara: Chapter 1
Produced by Hombale Films, ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ serves as a prequel to the 2022 National Award-winning ‘Kantara’. It will release worldwide in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali and English.
While ‘Kantara’ focused on land conflicts and the Daiva (deity) spirit in modern times, its Chapter 1 travels back to a much earlier period. Set in the 4th century CE during the reign of the Kadamba dynasty in pre-colonial coastal Karnataka, the prequel delves into the origins of the legend and the history of the Bhuta Kola ritual.
Directed and headlined by Rishab Shetty, the film also features Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah and Jayaram in key roles. The advance booking window for the movie opened this week.
‘Kantara Chapter 1’ is set to theatrically release on October 2, 2025.
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