Shocking : Kantara Chapter 1 Confirms OTT Date

Kantara Chapter 1, the prequel to the 2022 blockbuster Kantara, has been one of the biggest hits ever. The film grossed over ₹800 crore worldwide and emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of the year.

On Monday, the streaming partner announced that Kantara Chapter 1 will start streaming on Amazon Prime Video from Friday, October 31. The decision has surprised many, as the film is arriving on OTT just four weeks after its theatrical release.

The film is still performing strongly in theatres. On its fourth Sunday, it sold around 5.5 lakh tickets on BookMyShow alone, while on the following Monday, a working day, it managed to sell close to 1 lakh tickets. Trade circles are calling it an unexpected move, considering the film continues to draw good revenues in theatres.

The movie will be available in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam languages, while the Hindi version is expected to arrive later. This follows the distribution rule in North India, where Hindi films are not allowed to release on OTT platforms within eight weeks of their theatrical debut.

Many South Indian productions have been following a different approach, releasing their regional versions online within four weeks while holding back the Hindi version for eight weeks. Kantara Chapter 1 continues this pattern.

However, recent big-budget releases like Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2: The Rule have set a new benchmark by maintaining an eight-week window across all languages. This longer gap between theatrical and digital releases is seen as a way to protect box-office revenues and keep audiences returning to theatres.

The film’s early arrival on Prime Video is expected to attract a massive digital audience, but extending the theatrical window for all languages can help sustain the market and preserve the excitement of the big-screen experience.