From North to South, from India to international - the new installment of Kantara is ruling the box office.
In awe of the film and its performance, exhibitors and film trade experts say that the franchise has turned Indian folklore into a big-screen spectacle, proving that stories from the soil can strike a universal chord.
"It is one of those landmark films which has given a pivot to Indian cinema," producer and film trade expert, Girish Johar, told Moneycontrol.
He compares Kantara with some of the key movies that changed the Indian cinema landscape.
"Sholay largely started the love for big screen 70mm entertainers, Yash Chopra gave romance to Indian cinema. Baahubali franchise and RRR drove commercial big scale outings while KGF and Pushpa gave us desi rooted mass actioners. The same pivot has been achieved by Rishab Shetty with Kantara and its deep ancient rooted mythological story telling, beautifully moulding religious beliefs and folklore."
He added that Kantara will be relished beyond its box office run as audiences learn and discuss more about it. "There are certain films which live after their box office journey like Sholay, and Kantara is one such film."
Sacred stories, soaring numbers
"The film has made Rs 500 crore across all languages and globally the box office business is close to Rs 600 crore," Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, Managing Director (MD), Miraj Entertainment, told Moneycontrol.
The film has booked 3 times profit with an estimated budget of Rs 125 crore and Mendiratta expects the movie to see more fireworks during Diwali with lifetime collections touching Rs 800 crore.
"There is no content till October 21 until the release of Thamma and Ek Deewane ki Deewaniyat. So, Kantara: Chapter 1 will continue its strong momentum and overall collect Rs 800 crore across all languages."
Hit in Hindi
For the Hindi version, he expects a Rs 250 crore box office business.
Collection of the film's Hindi version was recorded at Rs 150 crore till October 12. Miraj's Mendiratta said that the film picked up pace a week after its release due to strong word of mouth.
Industry watchers attribute Kantara: Chapter 1’s success to strong word-of-mouth and emotional connect, noting that the film’s traction came organically rather than through heavy marketing.
"The Hindi version has breached past Rs 100 crore at a time when big (Bollywood) films with big star cast have not been able to do so," Johar said.
Kantara Chapter 1 has joined the list of South-origin dubbed hits that have crossed Rs 100 crore in Hindi. These include big franchise titles like Pushpa 2: The Rule with its Hindi version business of Rs 830.10 crore, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion at Rs 510.99 crore, KGF – Chapter 2 at Rs 434.70 crore, Kalki 2898 AD at Rs 294.25 crore, and RRR at Rs 274.31 crore.
Kantara: Chapter 1 has also emerged as the 12th highest-grossing Hindi dubbed film of all time.
The film is also giving many Bollywood releases a run for their money. The two biggest hits and two most profitable movies of this year are Saiyaara (which recorded a profit of Rs 292.69 crore and 6.5 times return on investment (ROI)) and Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava which registered a profit of Rs 485.39 crore or 3.7 times ROI.
The Hindi version of Kantara: Chapter 1 so far has recorded Rs 21 crore in profits with an ROI of 0.1 times. With this kind of business the Kantara franchise has not only expanded its commercial footprint but has also strengthened the rise of Kannada cinema in the Hindi-speaking belt.
Directed by Rishab Shetty who also stars in the film, Kantara: Chapter 1 has continued the successful streak this year of South Indian cinema in the Hindi belt. The first film to make a mark amid Hindi speaking audiences this year was Mahavatar Narsimha which has surpassed Saiyaara and Chhaava in terms of profitability. The animated film recorded Rs 232.96 crore profit with an ROI of over 7.2 times. The film, which was made at a budget of Rs 30 crore, collected Rs 247.9 crore.
International interest
In the international markets, Kantara: Chapter 1 is close to hitting a century joining the likes of Saiyaara and Chhaava that collected over Rs 100 crore in overseas box office. Only a few Indian movies have been able to achieve this feat this year. In 11 days, the mythological action drama did a business of around Rs 94 crore, taking its worldwide total to over Rs 600 crore.
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