Kantara: Chapter 1, Rishab Shetty’s ambitious prequel to the 2022 blockbuster, may have conquered the global box office, but its digital release appears to have dealt a serious blow to its theatrical momentum.
In its fifth weekend, the film collected around Rs. 9.25 crore at the Indian box office, a sharp 70% drop from the previous week.
The decline was most evident in South India, where Kantara had maintained a stronghold since release. Even with a holiday weekend cushioning the fall, the numbers reveal a clear dip in interest following its OTT debut.
Plus, as the Hindi debut will take some time, north of India has no option but to watch it in the theatres
It’s a familiar story: the streaming release, meant to expand reach, ends up eating into box office earnings. In Kantara’s case, the film’s mythological and cultural appeal might have found a renewed audience online, but it also prematurely ended what could’ve been a longer theatrical run.
Before its streaming debut on Amazon Prime Video, the film was poised to close near Rs. 720 crore domestically. Now, despite nearing Rs. 800 crore worldwide, its pace has slowed significantly. The irony is striking, the very accessibility that streaming promises seems to be undercutting the theatre experience it once amplified.
Rishab Shetty’s storytelling continues to resonate, a rooted myth from the fourth century AD woven with faith, folklore, and fury. Yet, the bigger question remains: in India’s new entertainment economy, are OTT releases coming too soon for films that thrive on cultural word-of-mouth?
Kantara: Chapter 1 stands tall as the year’s highest-grossing Indian film globally. But its sudden slowdown might just be a sign that streaming platforms, in their race for exclusivity, are costing cinema its longevity.