Kantara: Kantara: Chapter 1 inching close to ₹300 crore

Kantara: Chapter 1 inching close to ₹300 crore News Update on SerialBoosters.com

The much-awaited Kannada epic, Kantara: Chapter 1, which serves as a prequel to the 2022 blockbuster Kantara, has exploded at the box office, continuing Rishab Shetty's incredible run as the writer, director, and lead actor.

Set in the ancient Kadamba dynasty era in Karnataka, the film delves into the origins of the sacred forest, the Bhoota Kola ritual, and the divine spirits of Panjurli Daiva and Guliga Daiva. The main plot revolves around the conflict between the forest-dwelling tribal community, led by Berme (Rishab Shetty), and the tyrannical King Rajashekara (Jayaram) and his son Kulasekhara (Gulshan Devaiah) over the sacred land.

Released on October 2, 2025, the film opened with a massive day one collection of approximately ₹61.85 crore and maintained a phenomenal momentum, with its four-day extended opening weekend propelling its worldwide gross collection to an estimated ₹319 crore to ₹335 crore, making it the second fastest Kannada film to cross the ₹300 crore global mark. 

Domestically, the film has been equally dominant, beating the opening weekend collection of KGF: Chapter 2 in Karnataka, and its total net collection in India stood at approximately ₹256.5 crore to ₹257.2 crore after just five to six days, with early estimates suggesting the six-day total is rapidly closing in on the ₹300 crore domestic milestone, outperforming other major releases and setting a new benchmark for the highest Monday collection of the year.

The film, which was reportedly made on a significantly larger budget of ₹125 crore compared to its previous film, features a grand scale with massive battle sequences and elaborate ritualistic depictions, all leading to a climax where Berme, possessed by the Guliga spirit, confronts the true antagonist, Kanakavathi (Rukmini Vasanth), before his fate sets up the events for an already-announced Kantara: Chapter 2.

Following its massive release and the subsequent emergence of videos showing fans engaging in public mimicry of the film's deities, the makers, Hombale Films, issued a strong public statement urging audiences to uphold the sanctity of the traditions depicted.
Specifically, the makers of Kantara: Chapter 1 appealed to the public and cinegoers to refrain from any act that involves imitating, mimicking, or trivializing the Daiva personas, whether in cinema halls or in public places.

They emphasized that the practice of Dhaivaradhane (Daiva worship) is a profound symbol of faith and cultural pride for the Tulu community, and is "rooted in deep spiritual tradition and is not intended for performance or casual mimicry." The statement stressed that such acts "amount to minimize our belief system and deeply hurt the religious sentiments and faith of the Tulu community," urging all citizens to act responsibly and ensure the sacred nature of Dhaivaradhane is maintained. To know such latest updates, stay tuned to serialboosters.com Thank you!