Kannada film Kantara, directed by Rishab Shetty who also stars as the lead, is having a dream run at the box office after hitting cinemas on October 14. Four days after the release of the Hindi dubbed version of the film, Kantara registered collections higher than Day 1. On October 17, the film fetched Rs 1.75 crore nett in India. Positive word-of-mouth publicity is helping Kantara pull in audiences; it has already earned more than Rs 100 crore worldwide.

According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the Hindi version of Kantara had a “breakthrough on Day 2 and 3”.

Also starring Kishore and Achyuth Kumar in key roles, Kantara has collected Rs 113 crore nett (all languages) in India alone. The film’s worldwide collection now stands at Rs 142.84 crore gross and is expected to cross the Rs 150 crore mark in a day or two.

A supernatural action thriller, Kantara celebrates the Kannada tradition of bhoot kola, a form of ritualistic worship to a local deity. The film has a jaw-dropping climax, blending traditional dance forms and stunts.

Ponniyin Selvan: I eyes Rs 500 crore

Meanwhile, Mani Ratnam’s period drama Ponniyin Selvan: I is all set to enter the Rs 500 crore club. On the third Tuesday after its release, the film crossed Rs 322 crore in gross collections in India. The worldwide collections of this visual epic now stands at Rs 488 crore gross. Ponniyin Selvan: I hit the theatres on September 30 in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

Ponniyin Selvan: I is based on a five-part novel series by late author Kalki Krishnamurthy and tells the story of the mighty Chola empire. With music by A.R. Rahman musical, PS-I ends on a cliffhanger after a cyclone tosses Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) and Vanthiyathevan (Karthi), the two key characters of the film, in a turbulent ocean. The final scene in the movie makes a major revelation about Queen Nandini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), which will shift the story arc in the second part of this series.

Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Chiyaan Vikram, Karthi and Trisha Krishnan

Starring in key roles, the film has crossed the Kamal Haasan-starrer Vikram to become the highest-grossing Tamil film in Tamil Nadu. PS-I made Rs 80 crore on its first day, becoming the Tamil film with the highest opening ever. The purple patch is likely to continue during the Diwali holidays.