Back in 2022 Rishab Shetty struck gold when Kantara became a global phenomenon collecting over Rs 310 crore in India alone. This year all eyes were on its prequel Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1. Initially advance bookings for the film in India seemed slow. However just a day before release ticket sales skyrocketed. By the time the first show rolled out advance bookings had already pulled in around Rs 30 crore thanks in part to massive block bookings. What was the response on Day 1? As numbers began to flow in it became evident that Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 had opened with force. Paid premieres were held last night and positive reviews quickly spread across social media. This strong word of mouth worked in the film’s favour. According to an online ticketing platform nearly 83000 tickets were sold between 1 PM and 2 PM alone. As per early estimates by Sacnilk the film collected Rs 22.46 crore by 2 PM clearly outperforming its competitor Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari which managed only Rs 2.61 crore during the same period. How does Sunny Sanskari compare? Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor is struggling to match up. While it did open decently the film’s collections are significantly lower than Kantara. Current estimates suggest that Sunny Sanskari may end Day 1 with around Rs 12 crore while Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 is aiming for a huge Rs 40 crore opening. Did the holiday boost collections? The timing of the release has also worked in favour of both films. With Gandhi Jayanti coinciding with Dussehra cinema halls are witnessing heavy footfall. Families and young audiences are stepping out in large numbers particularly for evening shows which could give both movies a sizeable boost by the end of the day. Was there a screen count clash? Interestingly until a few days ago both films were in a tug-of-war over screen count in North India. Distributors of both movies pushed hard for maximum screens leaving exhibitors in a tough spot. Eventually Kantara seems to have pulled ahead not only in screen count but also in audience preference. Highlights: Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 collects Rs 22.46 crore by 2 PM on Day 1. Varun Dhawan Janhvi Kapoor’s Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari lags behind with Rs 2.61 crore. With Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra holidays both films eye higher evening collections.