Kantara Chapter 1: Can Rishab Shetty’s Kantara prequel better Yash’s KGF Chapter 2’s week 1 gross?

Kantara Chapter 1 is currently the second highest grossing film from Kannada, after KGF Chapter 2, and marginally outperformed the Yash film in its first weekend

Will Kantara Chapter 1 outdo KGF Chapter 2's week 1 performance?

As a much-anticipated second film in a franchise, Kantara Chapter 1, written and directed by Rishab Shetty, who’s also the leading man, will be subjected to a lot of scrutiny and, of course, comparison, with other franchises, like, for instance, KGF: Chapter 2. Kantara Chapter 1, which also opened in theatres on a Thursday, is already said to have outdone KGF: Chapter 2 in the Kannada version in the first weekend stakes. KGF: Chapter 2 had a net collection of Rs 62.4 cr vis a vis Kantara Chapter 1’s Rs 64 cr.

KGF Chapter 2 had a massive advantage in terms of...

What sets the two films apart currently is their performance in the Hindi belt. KGF: Chapter 2 was a literal monster at the box office, with the Hindi version contributing a mammoth Rs 435 cr to its eventual Rs 1250 cr gross, while Kannada stagnated at Rs 154 cr. Kantara Chapter 1, on the other hand, has a stronger hold on home ground, consistent in the range of Rs 12 cr to Rs 19 cr each day since its release and getting to Rs 89 cr net already from the Kannada version. While the Hindi version is doing marginally better at Rs 93.5 cr so far, it is nowhere KGF 2’s figures.

So, how does Kantara Chapter 1 measure up against KGF Chapter 2, now that it is almost at the week 1 mark? Well, going by the daily trends, even if Kantara adds another Rs 60 cr to Rs 70 cr to its current tally of Rs 290 cr (net), it will still fall a long way behind KGF 2, which had made a whopping Rs 523.75 cr by its second Thursday, of which, a little under Rs 270 cr came from the Hindi version.

Also read: Kantara Chapter 1 movie review: Rishab Shetty goes all out in grand but bland sequel

At the moment, Kantara Chapter 1 has the distinction of being the highest grossing Kannada film of 2025, having surpassed the comedy Su From So, produced by Raj B Shetty. It is also currently the highest grossing pan-India film from Kannada. Whether or not it gets to the Rs 1,000 crore figure, which has eluded 2025 films so far, or beats KGF: Chapter 2 remains to be seen and may even be a long shot, but the film will, most definitely set a few records of its own.

FAQs

Q. Are Kantara and Kantara: Chapter 1 the same?

A. No, they are separate films in the same franchise, both written and directed by Rishab Shetty. Kantara released in 2022, while Kantara: Chapter 1 hit theatres on October 2, 2025. Chapter 1 is the prequel of the original film.

Q. What is the run-time of Kantara Chapter 1?

A. Kantara Chapter is 2 hours and 47 minutes in total run-time.

Q. Where can one watch Kantara Chapter 1?

A. Kantara Chapter 1 is in theatres across the world from October 2, 2025. Subsequently, it will head to Amazon Prime Video on October 30, 2025, in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

Q. Whose avatar is Panjurli Daiva?

A. Panjurli Daiva is considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu in his Varaha incarnation. Panjurli, according to folklore, was a wild boar, who was slain by Lord Shiva and then revived to become a divine protector.

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