Kantara 2 Worldwide Box Office Collection - Day 1: How Much Has It Earned In Telugu, Tamil, Kannada & Hindi?

Rishab Shetty's Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1, widely referred to as Kantara 2, has delivered a thunderous opening at the worldwide box office, reaffirming the massive anticipation that had been building ever since the original film became a cultural phenomenon in 2022.

The movie collected a staggering ₹85 crore worldwide on its opening day, which includes ₹61 crore from Thursday's collections and ₹14 crore from paid premieres held on Wednesday evening, as per Sacnilk data. To put this into perspective, the first Kantara had earned just ₹2.8 crore on its opening day, underscoring the exponential growth in reach and popularity of the franchise.

While it has earned around Rs 75 crore from India, it added Rs 10 crore from the international market.

The home market of Karnataka, as expected, turned out to be the film's biggest strength. The Kannada version of Kantara 2 opened to near-packed houses, registering an average occupancy close to 90% across the day.

Morning shows began on a high at 73.56%, and as word spread, theatres filled up rapidly, with the afternoon touching an astonishing 96.14% occupancy. Evening and night shows held steady above 90%, contributing to a day-one collection of ₹17.18 crore from just 2,249 shows in the state. Industry trackers are already drawing parallels with the opening trends of KGF: Chapter 2, another Kannada-origin film that went on to achieve historic box office success.

• The home turf remained the strongest market for Kantara 2.
• Kannada Shows: 2,249
• Collections: ₹17.18 crore
• Occupancy: Exceptional across the board with 96.14% in afternoon shows, 90.78% in evening, and 92.04% at night. The film recorded a spectacular average of over 88% occupancy throughout the day.

The Telugu version emerged as the second-strongest territory for the film. The response began on a modest note with morning occupancy at 45%, but the film gained remarkable momentum as the day progressed. Afternoon shows leapt to 80%, evening crossed 85%, and by night, the occupancy was hovering at 91%.

With 2,406 shows across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Kantara 2 earned ₹13.45 crore on its first day in the Telugu market, supported by strong advance bookings and highly positive audience feedback. The trajectory suggests that the film is well-poised for an even stronger weekend run in the region. The Telugu states delivered the film's second-best numbers, proving the pan-India reach of the franchise.

• Telugu Shows: 2,406
• Collections: ₹13.45 crore
• Occupancy: Morning began modestly at 45.32%, but momentum surged with 80.26% in the afternoon and over 90% at night, bringing the overall average to 75.34%.

The Tamil version of the film found solid footing. Morning shows opened at a moderate 44.63%, but by afternoon the occupancy had surged to nearly 80%. Evening screenings recorded 75%, while night shows went as high as 86%. Overall, the Tamil version recorded a healthy 71.42% occupancy on day one, translating into ₹5.60 crore from 1,749 shows. Trade analysts note that this growth curve indicates powerful word-of-mouth, which could see the film rise further over the weekend.

• Tamil Shows: 1,749
• Collections: ₹5.60 crore
• Occupancy: From 44.63% in the morning, the film jumped to 79.10% in the afternoon and a strong 86.38% at night. The average stood at 71.42%.

Kerala audiences also welcomed Kantara 2 with enthusiasm. The Malayalam version started off steadily with morning occupancy at 46%, and like Tamil Nadu, gained traction through the day. By evening, theatres recorded nearly 76% occupancy, and night shows stayed strong at 75.7%. With 1,561 shows across the state, the film collected ₹5.06 crore, a robust start given the competition from other regional releases.

• Malayalam Shows: 1,561
• Collections: ₹5.06 crore
• Occupancy: Morning began at 45.97%, stabilizing in the 75% range through evening and night, with an average of 66.61%.

The Hindi market, however, presented a mixed picture. Despite being the film's widest release with 11,299 shows across the country, occupancies remained on the lower side. Morning shows saw just 18% occupancy, and while there was some pickup in the afternoon and evening, the average through the day remained under 35%.

Still, the Hindi version contributed a significant ₹20.53 crore to the overall tally on day one, largely thanks to the sheer screen count and strong brand recall of Kantara among urban audiences. Sustenance in this market will depend heavily on word-of-mouth in the days ahead.

• Hindi Shows: 11,299 (the widest release for the film)
• Collections: ₹20.53 crore
• Occupancy: Low in the morning at 18.36%, with only marginal improvement through the day - peaking at 34.62% in the evening. Overall occupancy remained below 35%.

Overall, Kantara 2 recorded ₹66.05 crore net from India (excluding offline shows and including paid premieres). Globally, the film's total day-one earnings stood at ₹85 crore, making it one of the biggest openers of 2025. While it does not break into the top ten all-time Indian openers - a list dominated by Telugu blockbusters like Pushpa 2 (₹275 crore) and RRR (₹223 crore) - it stands as one of the most successful launches ever for a Kannada film, second only to KGF: Chapter 2.

The success of Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1 underscores the growing appetite for rooted, culturally rich stories told on a grand cinematic scale. With its strong base in Karnataka and impressive traction in Telugu and Tamil markets, the film looks set for a record-breaking weekend. If the Hindi and Malayalam versions continue to gather pace, Rishab Shetty's magnum opus could very well script another landmark chapter in Indian cinema's box office history.