Within three weeks of release, Rishab Shetty’s Kantara has emerged as one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of all time. The film has now overtaken Sudeep’s Vikrant Rona and Puneeth Rajkumar’s last feature film, James, to become the third-biggest Kannada film ever, and now trails only the two KGF.
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According to trade sources cited by Hindustan Times, by October 19, Kantara has grossed over Rs 170 crore worldwide, which includes Rs 150 crore plus gross from India alone. Kantara raced ahead of Sudeep’s Vikrant Rona (Rs 158 crore) and Puneeth Rajkumar’s James (Rs 151 crore). The film is now third behind KGF: Chapter 1, which earned Rs 250 crore, and KGF: Chapter 2, which made Rs 1,207 crore globally.
Owing to the release of the dubbed versions, Kantara, made on a budget of Rs 8 crore, is still charging ahead and has earned Rs 10 crore on its 20th day in all languages. The film is predicted to cross Rs 200 crore in its lifetime. The film might just cross the Rs 250 crore mark and beat the first KGF film if interest sustains. The Malayalam version is expected to be released today, and that would increase the earnings further.
In the last four days, the Hindi version had collected more than Rs 11 crore. “#Kantara *#Hindi version* maintains a strong grip on Day 5… Eyes ₹ 14 cr [+/-] in *Week 1*, healthy total for a film scoring numbers solely on the basis of glowing WOM… Fri 1.27 cr, Sat 2.75 cr, Sun 3.50 cr, Mon 1.75 cr, Tue 1.88 cr. Total: ₹ 11.15 cr. #India biz. Nett BOC,” tweeted film trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
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Many South Indian films have witnessed roaring success domestically and worldwide in the post-Covid era. These include Ponniyin Selvan, RRR and KGF Chapter 2. Meanwhile, Bollywood has suffered several losses with big-budget films, including Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha and several Akshay Kumar releases. The Hindi film industry has had only a few success stories, including The Kashmir Files, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Brahmastra and Gangubai Kathiawadi.
