Rishab Shetty’s much-awaited film Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 (popularly called Kantara 2) opened to a thunderous response at the Indian box office, earning an estimated ₹60 crore nett on its first day. The film, riding on hype, strong advance bookings, and glowing audience reactions, has registered one of the biggest openings ever for a Kannada film.

Record-breaking start for Kannada cinema

The buzz around Kantara 2 began with its special premiere shows on Wednesday evening, where positive word-of-mouth created massive momentum. By Thursday, theatres across Karnataka witnessed houseful boards, setting the tone for a record-breaking run.

According to trade reports, the film’s Day 1 nationwide collection touched ₹60 crore nett, surpassing several Bollywood and pan-India titles released this year. Industry trackers believe the film has the potential to become one of 2025’s highest-grossing films if the trend continues through the weekend.

Occupancy report: near houseful shows

  • Morning shows: 73.56%
  • Afternoon shows: 96.14%
  • Evening shows: 90.78%
  • Night shows: 92.04%

The film picked up drastically post-noon, with near-total occupancy in several regions, especially across Karnataka.

City-wise performance

  • Bengaluru (90.25%, 1,021 shows): The epicentre of the craze, with multiplexes and single screens running back-to-back houseful shows.
  • Mysuru (95.25%): One of the top-performing cities with near-total occupancy all day.
  • Shivamogga & Kundapura (99% each): Breakout markets, where shows went houseful in advance bookings.
  • Hubballi (84.75%): After a slow morning, occupancy soared to nearly 100% in evening and night shows.
  • Mangaluru (89%): Coastal Karnataka witnessed massive crowds, with evening occupancy peaking at 97%.
  • Kalaburagi & Belagavi (75-76%): Started dull but picked up after positive reviews.
  • Tumakuru, Manipal & Raichur (94-96%): Consistently high with night shows hitting 100%.
  • Hyderabad (89.50%): Strong numbers outside Karnataka, driven by Shetty’s growing Telugu fanbase.
  • Mumbai (57.25%): The only weak link; occupancy ranged between 31–69% through the day.

Language-wise occupancy

  • Kannada: Near-total across Karnataka.
  • Telugu: 75.34%
  • Tamil: 71.42%
  • Malayalam: 66.61%
  • Hindi: 29.84%

Despite modest numbers in Hindi-speaking regions, the Karnataka dominance ensured a record-breaking nationwide opening.

Cultural connect drives craze

The extraordinary response from small towns such as Kundapura, Shivamogga, and Raichur reflects the cultural connection the Kantara franchise enjoys. With its themes rooted in folklore and spirituality, Kantara 2 has struck a strong chord with local audiences, while also building traction in pan-India markets.

Outlook

Trade experts predict Kantara 2 will maintain momentum over the weekend, potentially challenging records set by pan-India giants like KGF Chapter 2 and RRR. If word-of-mouth sustains in non-Kannada markets, the film could emerge as one of the highest openers of all time in Indian cinema.