It’s time to mark your calendars as Rishab Shetty’s much-awaited film Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 is all set to release in theatres worldwide on October 2, 2025, making this Dussehra extra special. The Kantara Chapter 1, prequel to the 2022 blockbuster, will release in multiple languages including Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.
What makes Kantara: Chapter 1 the most awaited release of the year
The first Kantara was a big hit at the box office. What started as a small Kannada release soon became a blockbuster hit in India, winning hearts across languages, especially in the Hindi speaking audience. The film’s mix of folklore, action, and raw emotion turned it into one of the biggest dubbed hits in recent years. Hence no wonder people have really high expectations from Kantara: Chapter 1. And looking at the early numbers, it seems all set to go even bigger than the original.
Advance booking for Kantara: Chapter 1 crosses Rs 5 crores
Advance booking for Kantara: Chapter 1 opened on Sunday, just four days before release, and the response has been something no one expected. Within 24 hours, pre-sales for Kantara: Chapter 1 Day 1 touched Rs 5.7 crore gross, with 1.7 lakh tickets already sold. This shows that Kantara: Chapter 1 is heading for a far bigger opening than Kantara, which managed just Rs 2 crore on its first day in India back in 2022.
What’s more surprising is that Kantara: Chapter 1 is already ahead of some of the biggest recent releases. Films like Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG and Hrithik Roshan–Jr NTR’s War 2 couldn’t cross the Rs 5-crore advance booking mark with three days left for release. In fact, Kantara: Chapter 1 is way ahead of the pre-sales of Yash’s KGF: Chapter 1, a film that went on to become a historic blockbuster and held the crown as Kannada cinema’s highest grosser until Kantara took over.
Kantara: Chapter 1 advance bookings across languages
Most of the ticket sales so far have come from Karnataka, where the excitement around the film is at its peak. In comparison, the Hindi version has brought in around Rs 36 lakh in advance bookings, while Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam together have added just over Rs 5 lakh. The Kannada version has taken the lead and is driving the maximum collections right now. But trade experts believe the Hindi numbers will pick up once more screens open across Monday and Tuesday.
Will Kantara Chapter 1 smash box office collections?
With the buzz this strong, experts feel Kantara: Chapter 1 could easily beat the Rs 400-crore worldwide gross of the original. And if the trend continues, it might even give some of the biggest pan-India blockbusters like never before.
Kantara Chapter 1 trailer teases an epic story
The trailer has only added to the excitement. It starts with a young boy, Shiva, wondering why his father disappeared during a Daiva Kola ritual in the forest. As the story progresses, he discovers how his ancestors fought against oppression with the help of divine powers. Gulshan Devaiah plays a cruel prince, while Rukmini Vasanth is a princess who falls for Shiva’s ancestor, challenging the ruler’s authority. The trailer ends with Rishab Shetty’s character possessed by the Daiva, hinting at his role as a divine protector.
Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 is all set to hit the theaters and have a thunderous opening this Dussehra. As per advance bookings so far, it’s already on its way to becoming one of the year’s biggest blockbusters and fans just can’t keep calm!