Will Kantara Chapter 1 have paid premieres on October 1?
On the evening of September 30, bookings for paid premieres in Chennai were opened, which gave audiences hope that Kantara Chapter 1 would begin its theatrical run with a bang, but then…
Last Updated: 10.36 PM, Sep 30, 2025
Kantara Chapter 1 would have 2,500 paid premieres across the country in different languages on October 1, 2025, it was said. At the first press meet of the film a week ago, actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty had said that the production house would make it happen. On September 30, as the day wore on, fans were hopeful of bookings opening for the same, but there was no update on ticket aggregator sites, until the afternoon, when a few movie halls in Chennai opened shows starting at 6 pm.
The curious case of the vanishing premiere shows
The Karnataka release would be bigger, one thought, and, hence, the team probably needed more time to figure out the schedule. Composer Ajaneesh Loknath’s social media post late on September 30 that he’s finally finished his work on the film was a tad disconcerting though. As of 10 pm on September 30, there was still no word from anyone on the team about the possibility of paid premieres.
And then, the shows that had been opened in Chennai vanished. While that pretty much confirmed that 6.30 am on October 2 would be when Kantara Chapter 1 releases, sources said that there’ was still hope that things would turn around.
The delay in announcing paid premieres was to do with the audio file, we are told, with the video having been ready over the weekend. Overseas distributors confirmed receiving the video file, but no audio. The upload was under process late on September 30, and shortly after, one Bengaluru multiplex opened two shows on October 1. OTTplay tried booking, but no matter the seat selection, an error message is all we got. And then, those shows also vanished.
FAQs
Q. Where will Kantara Chapter 1 be available after the theatrical run?
A. Amazon Prime Video has acquired the post-theatrical streaming rights of Kantara Chapter 1. The film is expected to be available after 8 weeks.
Q. What is the budget of Kantara Chapter 1?
A. Kantara Chapter 1 has, reportedly, been made at a budget of around Rs 120 cr