With one epic film already ruling the Kerala Box Office, another one has taken an earth-shattering start the ticket counters in the state. Rishab Shetty's Kantara: Chapter 1 is off the blocks in style, raking in an astounding Rs 6.05 crore on its opening day in Kerala. Despite the average promos, the film cashed in on the sequel hype and exceptional reviews from the preview shows to clock a gigantic opening day in the state.
Early reports from the audience suggest that the film has the potential to touch the coveted Rs 50 crore mark during its full run in Kerala. It is still a long way to go but with this start, it can go anywhere depending on where the Monday figure lands. The collections till Sunday should make for a sensational opening with estimates suggesting five-day Kerala gross in the vicinity of Rs 20 crore, and it could go higher if the weekend trend has a bigger spike.
Meanwhile, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra continues its phenomenal run at the Kerala Box Office, grossing Rs 1.03 crore on its 35th day, a mind-boggling figure when you consider that it had to face competition from three new releases which included one of India's most-awaited films. The Kalyani Priyadarshan-starrer now sits at Rs 117.02 crore and just needs under Rs 2 crore gross to displace Thudarum as the no.1 all-time grosser in the state.
Shane Nigam's Balti also had a decent Gandhi Jayanti day, gross Rs 54 lakh to take its total collections to Rs 6.33 crore in seven days. The numbers are decent but given its reasonably high costs, it needs a lot more for its stake-holders to break-even. The timing of its release possibly hindered its potential as the audience reports have been encouraging so far.
Dhanush's Idli Kadai has crashed on its second day despite it being a national holiday. It collected just Rs 18 lakh on its second day in Kerala, a big fall from its already opening day number of Rs 28 lakh. The arrival of Kantara: Chapter 1 has only compounded the miseries of this flick that has endured mixed reviews in the state. Asif Ali's Mirage collected Rs 7 lakh despite minimal screen count but won't emerge as a hit at the box office.
Gandhi Jayanti Day Kerala Box Office Top-5
Kantara: Chapter 1 - Rs 6.05 crore
Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra - Rs 1.03 crore
Balti - Rs 54 lakh
Idli Kadai - Rs 18.5 lakh
Mirage - Rs 7 lakh
