Rishab Shetty’s “Kantara Chapter 1,” the prequel to the 2022 blockbuster “Kantara,” has taken the box office by storm, grossing over Rs 400 crore worldwide since its release on October 2.
With this feat, it has become the second-highest-grossing Kannada film of all time, next only to “KGF Chapter 2.”
The film posted phenomenal numbers across regions, earning more than ₹100 crore in Karnataka within just five days, Rs 75 crore net in Hindi markets over four days, and recording an all-time best Monday in Kerala.
The film is now on track to soon enter the ₹500 crore club. Normally, such massive worldwide earnings would be a cause for celebration for any production house.
However, in the case of Kantara Chapter 1, the situation is more complex. The film’s financial trajectory appears similar to Rajinikanth’s recent hit Coolie.
While Coolie grossed nearly Rs 600 crore worldwide, it was still deemed an underperformer because it failed to reach the break-even point.
The film had been sold to distributors at exceptionally high prices - and although some territories brought in strong returns, others fell short. As a result, despite the impressive global gross, not all regions turned profitable.
A comparable scenario seems to be unfolding with Kantara Chapter 1. The Telugu and Hindi markets are reportedly struggling to achieve profits.
Hombale Films, the production house, had quoted steep prices to distributors before release, making recovery more difficult. For the film to enter the profit zone, it must continue to draw packed houses for at least two more weeks.
Industry sources estimate that Kantara Chapter 1 needs to gross around Rs 900 crore worldwide just to break even - a challenging target despite its extraordinary run so far.
