By: Entertainment DeskChennai | October 2, 2025 03:59 PM IST 3 min readKantara Chapter 1 box office collection day 1: Rishab Shetty’s film sells 1 million tickets.(Screenshot: YouTube/HombaleFilms)Rishab Shetty’s period folk action thriller Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 was expected to have a bigger and grander theatrical release than its 2022 predecessor, and the film is proving that prediction correct. The film has started its box office journey with a bang on the occasion of Dusshera on Thursday and has minted Rs 29 crore till 4 pm on its release day.Kantara 2 gets second biggest start after KGF: Chapter 2The film also had limited paid premieres, which helped its growth as the reception to them was excellent. According to Sacnilk, Kantara 2 has taken the second biggest start ever for a Kannada movie, after Yash-starrer KGF: Chapter 2. Both films were bankrolled by the same production house, Hombale Films. The website also predicts that the Rishab-starrer will easily cross the Rs 50 crore mark in India on the first day of release. For comparison, KGF: Chapter 2 had minted a massive Rs 134.5 crore in India on its release day.The film had an overall 73.56% Kannada occupancy on Thursday, 45.32% Telugu occupancy, 18.36% Hindi occupancy, and 44.63% Tamil occupancy in morning shows. The occupancy is expected to increase many folds during evening and night shows.Kantara 2 sells 1 million ticketsAccording to the website, Kantara 2 has already sold 1 million tickets and is selling over 60K tickets per hour on the online ticketing platform BookMyShow, which is the peak count for any Indian film this year. The film got a boost because of the Dusshera holiday and will continue to benefit from the extended holiday weekend ahead.Also read | Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari movie review: Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor’s DDLJ-coded film has nothing new to offerKantara 2 hits $500K in North AmericaRishab’s film isn’t just a rage in India but also overseas. The film has crossed the $500K mark in North America, which is roughly Rs 4.15 crore. The film opened to the global audience with North America as the first circuit to premiere shows. The film has grown at a good pace in the North America circuit and is expected to continue growing in the coming days.Kantara 2 vs Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi KumariKantara 2 is doing well even in the Hindi market and is giving tough competition to Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari. According to a report in Pinkvilla, the film is expected to close around 60–65K tickets in the national chains for the Hindi-dubbed version. However, the film has managed to finish with 75,000 tickets in PVR, Inox, and Cinepolis on the opening day. The report states that the film might get a Rs 15 crore opening in the Hindi market, which can even go up to Rs 20 crore. This is likely to be way more than Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’s opening numbers, which minted Rs 1.32 crore by 12 pm.Like the 2022 film Kantara, Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 is also written and directed by Rishab Shetty, who also plays the lead role. Rukmini Vasanth plays the female lead, with Gulshan Devaiah, Jayaram, and others in significant roles.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd