Kantara Chapter 1: Rishab Shetty's movie sets new Day 1 box office collection record, beats Rajinikanth's Coolie

The prequel to the blockbuster Kantara has made a solid start at the box office, opening to packed theatres and enthusiastic response. Released on the Dusshera holiday, Rishab Shetty, who headlined, directed and wrote the movie, kicked off with high expectations across multiple languages and regions. The film surpassed Coolie and Saiyaara's box office collection on day one.

Kantara Chapter 1 box office collection

According to early estimates by Sacnilk.com, Kantara: Chapter 1 crossed Rs 65 crore mark on its opening day, consolidating its position as one of the most successful launches of the year. In particular, its Hindi dubbed version contributed approximately Rs 19–21 crore to the total collection, showing its strong pan‑India appeal.


Releasing during a major festival gave the film a strategic boost, drawing in audiences looking for holiday entertainment. Though it originates from Kannada cinema, Kantara Chapter 1 saw a wide release in multiple languages, helping it break through regional barriers and reach a broader audience.

On its first day, the film surpassed opening day earnings of earlier hits such as Saiyaara, Sikandar, and Chhaava. It also came very close to the first-day figures of Coolie, starring Rajinikanth, placing it among the top openers of Indian cinema in 2025.

Notable stars have lauded the film’s success. Prabhas described it as “brilliant” with “outstanding performances” and called it potentially the biggest blockbuster of the year. Jr NTR congratulated Rishab Shetty and the team for achieving such a strong opening, praising Shetty both as a director and actor.

More about Kantara Chapter 1

Produced by Hombale Films under Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda, Kantara Chapter 1 features actors Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah, and Jayaram in key roles alongside Rishab Shetty. On the technical side, Arvind S Kashyap handles cinematography, B Ajaneesh Loknath delivers the score, and Banglan leads the production design.


With such a powerful opening, the film’s sustainability will hinge on word-of-mouth, evening collections, and success in multiplexes across non-Kannada regions. Its performance will be watched closely, particularly in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam markets where it has been dubbed and released.

Kantara: Chapter 1 has set the bar high from Day 1. If it maintains momentum, the film could become one of the defining pan-India success stories of 2025.