Sandalwood
Kantara Chapter 1 On OTT: A Questionable and Disappointing Move From Makers of Rishab Shetty's Blockbuster
Bengaluru, October 27 - The exhibitors of Karnataka finally had a moment of joy this year with Rishab Shetty-fronted Kantara Chapter 1 doing excellent business and bringing people to theatres in big numbers. They were hoping for more to come, but their happiness has been cut short by a disappointing and questionable move by the makers. Despite the film continuing its very good run and showing remarkable stability across regions, the team has decided to drop it on the OTT platform much sooner than expected. At a time when almost every South Indian film is dropping on OTT after just four weeks of its theatrical release, Kantara Chapter 1 had the perfect chance to break the trend. The Rishab Shetty directorial was still performing excellently at the box office, showing no signs of slowing down even in its fourth weekend. With a strong hold and exceptional word of mouth, the film was well on its way to extending its glorious run and setting new benchmarks for long theatrical sustainability in the post-pandemic era. In its fourth weekend alone, the film grossed over 30 crores domestically, with nearly half of that coming from the Kannada version. These are solid numbers for a film that opened to massive numbers in its initial week, proving its continued dominance and audience connection. A longer exclusive theatrical run could have easily pushed the film's lifetime total significantly higher, adding many more crores to its already stellar tally. However, the makers have now officially confirmed the film's OTT release. The period folk actioner will drop on Amazon Prime Video on October 31st in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil versions, four weeks after its release. This decision comes across as both disappointing and questionable, especially considering the film's ongoing momentum at the ticket windows. In opting for an early digital release, the team may have left considerable box office potential untapped, undermining what could have been an even more historic run. Beyond the numbers, this move also affects exhibitors, particularly in Karnataka, where Kantara Chapter 1 has been a saviour amid a dull theatrical year. A longer theatrical run would have benefited both the film's legacy and the local theatre chains, reinforcing the power of strong content to sustain on the big screen. Instead, this shortened window feels like a missed opportunity for both the industry and the film's makers, and more importantly, for the theatre ecosystem, which has been struggling this year in Karnataka. Stay tuned...
