Kaantha worldwide box office collection day 1: Dulquer Salmaan film trails behind King of Kotha, Lucky Baskhar

Kaantha worldwide box office collection day 1: Selvamani Selvaraj's Dulquer Salmaan-starrer opened to mixed reviews. Here's how it fared.

Kaantha worldwide box office collection day 1: Selvamani Selvaraj’s retro-style film Kaantha was released in theatres on Friday. The film, headlined by Dulquer Salmaan, Bhagyashri Borse, Samuthirakani and Rana Daggubati, opened to mixed reviews in Tamil and Telugu. It failed to beat Dulquer’s previous films, Lucky Baskhar and King of Kotha, at the box office. (Also Read: Kaantha movie review: Dulquer Salmaan outshines an uneven film about bruised egos, passionate affairs)

Kaantha worldwide box office collection day 1: Dulquer Salmaan, Rana Daggubati and Samuthirakani in a still from the film.

Kaantha worldwide box office collection

Kaantha is produced by Dulquer’s Wayfarer Films and Rana’s Spirit Media. The production houses announced on Saturday that the film collected ₹10.5 crore worldwide on its opening day. Making the announcement, they wrote, “A SENSATIONAL START. KAANTHA sparks electrifying collections on DAY 1.” One fan reacted to the post, writing, “Kaantha really said: “First day, first *legendary*!” Can’t wait to feel that cinematic voltage!” Another called it a “great movie, worth watching.”

Kaantha collected ₹4.30 crore net in India on its opening day, with the rest coming from abroad. While the number is decent, it still means that the drama has failed to beat the opening numbers of Dulquer’s King of Kotha (2023) and Lucky Baskhar (2024). King of Kotha registered an opening of ₹15 crore worldwide, while Lucky Baskhar had collected ₹12 crore. It remains to be seen if the film's numbers pick up over the weekend. Kaantha opened to mixed reviews in Tamil and Telugu, with Dulquer, Bhagyashri, and Samuthirakani receiving praise for their performances.

About Kaantha

Kaantha is directed by Selvamani, known for his debut film, Nila (2015). While initially speculated to be based on the life of MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, the makers have cited in several interviews that it’s a work of fiction. It follows the story of a superstar of his time, named TK Mahadevan (Dulquer), who has to work with his former mentor, director Ayya (Samuthirakani), to make Tamil cinema’s first horror film. However, the bruised egos of both lead to devastating results for someone they dearly love.