Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1 smashes 4 box office records, surpasses 2025 hits Saiyaara, Chhaava

Kantara: Chapter 1, written, directed, and headlined by Rishab Shetty, is currently unstoppable. The film hit theatres on October 2 and has taken the box office by storm. The Kantara prequel opened to positive responses from both audiences and critics, breaking several records along the way. From surpassing Saiyaara to becoming the highest-grossing Kannada film of 2025, it has shattered four major box office records. Scroll down to find out more:

Biggest opening in India and globally

Kantara: Chapter 1 had a strong start at the box office, recording the third-biggest opening day of 2025. According to Sacnilk.com, the film minted Rs 61.85 crore at the box office. It came in just behind Rajinikanth’s Coolie (Rs 65 crore) and Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG (Rs 63.75 crore). The film also outperformed 2025 hits Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava (Rs 52 crore) and Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda's Saiyaara, which previously held the top spot.


Highest-grossing Kannada film of 2025
On its second day, Kantara: Chapter 1 added Rs 45 crore to its earnings, taking the total to Rs 106.85 crore. The film has made history by crossing the Rs 100 crore mark in just two days. It is now the highest-grossing Kannada film of the year, beating Su From So, which had collected Rs 92 crore last month.

Enters top 10 highest-grossing films of 2025
Kantara: Chapter 1 had a massive release across multiple languages, with nearly 4,700 shows in Hindi and over 1,500 in Kannada, along with solid reach in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam. The strong response across regions highlights its wide appeal. Impressively, the film entered the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2025 on its very first day.


Enters same league as War 2
Earlier in 2025, War 2 starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR hit theatres with huge expectations as the second part of a popular franchise. It earned Rs 110 crore in just two days. Similarly, Kantara: Chapter 1 is following a strong opening trend. However, while War 2 started well, it couldn’t sustain momentum and didn’t perform as expected later at the box office. Now, it all depends on how Kantara Chapter 1 will work over the weekend.

More about the movie

For the unversed, Kantara: Chapter 1 hit theatres worldwide on October 2, releasing in six languages, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, and English. The film serves as a prequel to the 2022 blockbuster Kantara and is both written and directed by Rishab Shetty, who also plays the lead. Produced by Vijay Kiragandur, the film stars Rukmini Vasanth and Jayaram alongside Shetty. Filming began in November 2023, with the first teaser launching later that month on November 27. Stay tuned!