Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 faces serious trouble with advance bookings showing little movement before release. In the Telugu states, bookings have not even opened despite premieres scheduled for October 1 at 7 PM. Word of mouth now holds all the weight.
In Andhra Pradesh, bookings are expected soon after price hikes were approved at the makers’ request. In Telangana, however, hikes have been denied since the film is dubbed, much like Coolie and War 2.
The overseas market looks no better. In North America, $20 plus tax premiere tickets have failed to attract crowds. With only 12 hours left, the film has sold just 13,000 tickets for 2,000 screenings averaging six to seven per show.
Sales are split between Kannada and Telugu, though Telugu holds more weight as IMAX shows favour that version. Weak response to the trailer has also slowed momentum. To ease language-related backlash from the Hyderabad event, the team is hosting a Vijayawada event today.
In Hindi markets, bookings remain bleak. By Tuesday afternoon, only 17,000 tickets had been sold across PVR, Inox, and Cinepolis. Trends point to 70,000–80,000 tickets before release, worth Rs. 10–15 crore net. Industry hoped for Rs. 30-40 crores on the holiday.
Unless bookings rise sharply on release day, Kantara Chapter 1 risks a very ordinary opening instead of the massive pan-India launch once expected.
