Celebration Film Scores Rare 50 Day Theatre Plus OTT Victory

These days, movies barely breathe in theatres. Three days, one week, and poof, gone. So seeing a film actually touch 50 days feels a bit shocking, almost like a throwback to those old times when people celebrated 100 days with cutouts and firecrackers. And now, somehow, Kantara Chapter 1 has managed to bring that vibe back.

The movie, a prequel to the original Kantara, has been running strong ever since its release. Rishab Shetty went full multi-tasking mode again, writer, director, actor, and pulled off another raw and rooted story. That whole village-folk-spiritual atmosphere just hooked people. It released in multiple languages and still kept steady footfalls everywhere. Hitting the 50-day mark felt like a mini festival for the team, and they even posted a thank-you note. Ajaneesh Loknath’s music and Rukmini Vasanth’s role also added a lot of depth to the whole thing.

The numbers are wild too. By day 49, the movie made around Rs 13 lakh in India and touched roughly Rs 621 crore net across languages. With domestic gross going around Rs 733 crore and overseas adding about Rs 111 crore, the worldwide total is nearly Rs 844 crore. Missed the all-time top 10 by a hair, but still, huge, huge win.

And then OTT picked it up and ran with it. Since dropping on Prime Video on October 31, it’s been sitting at No. 1 for three weeks straight. Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam versions are already trending.