Kantara surpasses Sudeep’s Vikrant Rona, Puneeth Rajkumar’s James to be third-highest-grossing Kannada film ever

Within three weeks of its release, Rishab Shetty’s sensational film Kantara has broken a box office record that many thought was beyond its reach. The film has overtaken two huge films starring Kannada superstars to enter the top 3 of the highest-grossing Kannada films of all time. And what’s more is that the film is still going strong and may just rise higher still. Also read: Rishab Shetty on Kantara’s USP: ‘Filmmakers thought desi stories won’t work’

As per trade sources, by October 19, Kantara has grossed over ₹170 crore worldwide, which includes an impressive ₹150 crore plus gross from India alone. This puts it third in the list of the highest-grossing Kannada films of all time. Over the last two days, it has overtaken two big industry hits–Kichha Sudeep’s Vikrant Rona ( ₹158 crore) and Puneeth Rajkumar’s last feature film James ( ₹151 crore). It now stands behind only KGF: Chapter 2 ( ₹1207 crore) and KGF: Chapter 1 ( ₹250 crore).

Noteworthy is the fact that due to the release of the dubbed versions, Kantara is still going strong and earned ₹10 crore (in all languages) on its 20th day. Industry insiders predict it will easily cross the ₹200-core barrier during its lifetime. The ₹250-crore mark looks distant but many haven’t put it beyond the film’s reach, given how word of mouth for it is still strong.

Kantara, directed by Rishab Shetty, is a thriller rooted in the culture and faith of coastal Karnataka, and marries politics around land grab with local beliefs in Daiva and Bhootas. The film has received universal critical acclaim and is the highest-rated Indian film on IMDB, ahead of classics like Pyaasa, Nayakan, Apur Sansar, and Black Friday.

The success of the Kannada film encouraged the makers to dub it in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam as well. The dubbed versions are also performing well at the box office, contributing to resurgence in its earnings after the second week.