Kantara Chapter 1 rules global box office, overtakes Taylor Swift, DiCaprio hits

Kantara Chapter 1’s earned around $53 million worldwide, topping global charts this week

Last updated:
Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor
2 MIN READ
Kantara Chapter 1 rules global box office, overtakes Taylor Swift, DiCaprio hits
IMDB

Dubai: Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 has become the highest-grossing film in the world this week, outperforming releases by Taylor Swift and Leonardo DiCaprio according to trade sources.

In its first seven days, the Kannada-language epic has earned an estimated Rs3.79 billion ($42 million) in India. Trade analysts project that by the end of its first extended week on Thursday, the film's domestic collections could reach approximately $45 million (Rs4 billion). Adding another $8 million (Rs670 million) from overseas markets, Kantara Chapter 1’s worldwide total stands at around $53 million — or nearly Rs4.7 billion in just one week.

The feat allows Rishab Shetty’s film to overtake Taylor Swift’s event-style concert movie The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, which earned $50 million globally during its limited weekend run tied to the launch of her new album. Since it was a three-day theatrical release, Swift’s box-office tally remained static after Monday.

Kantara Chapter 1 has also left behind Paul Thomas Anderson’s Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer One Battle After Another, which managed around $40 million worldwide in its second week, as well as the re-released Avatar: The Way of Water, which earned under $10 million in the same period.

Rooted in coastal Karnataka folklore, Kantara Chapter 1 combines myth, faith, and raw emotion to deliver a cinematic spectacle that has connected with audiences far beyond India. Its phenomenal first-week showing reinforces the global rise of regional Indian cinema — proving that authentic storytelling can triumph over Hollywood’s biggest names.

Devadasan K P
Devadasan K PChief Visual Editor
Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 26 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. Whether he’s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. Over the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments — including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. His work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. He handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss — just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.

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