Kantara, the next film by actor-director Rishab Shetty, debuted in theatres to raving acclaim from both critics and viewers. Even though Kantara faced tough competition when it opened in theatres on September 30 and had a modest opening few hours at the box office, the positive word-of-mouth buzz is now guaranteeing that the movie gets traction.
According to the most recent trade sources, Kantara finished the first day with net receipts of Rs. 3.5 crores, and it now appears that it will be able to capitalise on the very positive response over the first weekend. Although the figures are sure to change throughout the day, early trade estimates indicate that the Rishab Shetty movie would earn above Rs. 5 crore on Day 2 (Saturday). The aforementioned numbers are quite positive for the producers because Kantara, despite being a Hombale Films production, is not being released across all of India and has a budget that is considered to be reasonable.
The other two non-Kannada releases, Vikram Vedha and Ponniyin Selvan - 1 or PS-1 - will also compete with Kantara, and as both movies have well-known directors and central casts, the Karnataka box office would be divided between them. But given that Kantara offers a pretty singular portrayal of the vibrant local culture, it is reasonable to assume that Kannada moviegoers will like it over all others.
As a result of the excellent reviews, Kantara's theatre occupancy also increased significantly throughout the first day, with night shows in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Kundapura, Manipal, etc. running almost to capacity. Although Bengaluru is undoubtedly the greatest market for Kannada movies, one can be confident that Rishab Shetty's movie will perform well in Mangaluru, Kundapura, and other coastal areas.
Rishab Shetty is the author and director of the movie Kantara, and he also plays the main lead opposite Kishore, Sapthami Gowda, and Achyuth Kumar. The movie is produced by Hombale Films' Vijay Kiragandur, with the cinematography and music being handled by Arvind S. Kashyap and B. Ajaneesh Loknath, respectively.
