Intro: A Tamil Nadu Box Office Showdown
Two big releases jolted Tamil Nadu’s cinema circuit around the same time: the Dhanush‑starrer Idli Kadai and Kantara Chapter 1, headlined by Rishab Shetty. In TN, fans and trade watchers flooded social media with quick takes on opening numbers and the potential competitive edge of each film. The narrative in this piece reflects the numbers and perceptions that circulated in the days following their releases, along with context about how both films fared in Tamil Nadu specifically.
Opening Day and Weekend: What the Numbers Said
According to industry chatter and fan reports (note: official trade figures were not publicly confirmed at the time), Idli Kadai was expected to post a high opening. Reportedly, the film drew around ₹11 crore on its opening day nationwide, with Tamil Nadu contributing a portion of this momentum. On the second day, box office buzz suggested the film grossed around ₹20 crore. While these numbers circulated in media and social chatter, authorities did not publish formal, audited box office figures for the early days.
For Kantara Chapter 1 and the subsequent release scenario described in the same timeframe, reports claimed a strong opening for Kantara Chapter 2 (released the day after Idli Kadai). The firm numbers were fluid and varied across sources, with some estimates placing the first‑day haul for Kantara Chapter 2 in the higher tens of crores globally. Yet, these figures were not uniformly verified by official trade bodies at that moment.
Tamil Nadu Focus: First Day Power
When we narrow the lens to Tamil Nadu’s TN box office, Idli Kadai reportedly led on opening day with approximately ₹4.67 crore, signaling robust local anticipation for a Dhanush‑fronted film. By contrast, the figure cited for Kantara Chapter 2 on the very first day in Tamil Nadu hovered around ₹2.63 crore in TN, according to the same circulating reports. This snapshot suggests that the Dhanush project had stronger early traction in Tamil Nadu’s home market, at least in terms of initial local collections.
It’s important to note that Tamil Nadu box office reporting can be influenced by language, distribution, and regional marketing pushes. Also, not all numbers were officially confirmed at the same time, so readers should treat these TN figures as indicative rather than definitive audited tallies.
Pan-India vs. Tamil Nadu: The Bigger Picture
Beyond Tamil Nadu, Kantara as a franchise‑adjacent property has historically enjoyed strong multi‑lingual appeal, with Rishab Shetty’s universe drawing eager audiences across languages such as Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and more. The reported global figure of around ₹60 crore for Kantara Chapter 2 on a single day highlights the scale of a pan‑Indian reception, even if Tamil Nadu’s immediate returns favored Idli Kadai in the opening phase. This contrast underscores a common pattern in Indian cinema: a Tamil Nadu‑centric star or project can dominate the state box office early, while a cross‑language captain like Kantara can build momentum and fanfare across India over a wider release window.
What Should Tamil Nadu Audiences Do?
For local moviegoers, Idli Kadai offered a home‑grown experience with a widely appealing star and a soundtrack by GV Prakash Kumar, with a cast that included celebrated performers like Rajkiran, Nitya Menen, and Sathyaraj. Kantara Chapter 2, on the other hand, promised the same mythic‑legend vibe that made Kantara a talking point across India, with Rishab Shetty in a central role and a storyline that fans hoped would echo the earlier film’s scale and mystique. Given the reported numbers, TN audiences might weigh the value of a locally anchored star vehicle against a pan‑India epic with multilingual ambitions and a broader release strategy.
Takeaways
- In Tamil Nadu, early TN box office chatter positioned Idli Kadai as the leading force on opening day, with reported Tamil Nadu Day 1 figures for Idli Kadai higher than Kantara Chapter 2’s Day 1 TN totals in the same timeframe.
- Kantara’s wider multilingual appeal translated to potentially higher global or national box office momentum, even if Tamil Nadu showed different opening dynamics.
- Official audited numbers were not uniformly published in the immediate aftermath, so readers should consider these figures as indicative and cross‑check with later trade briefings for a full view.
Bottom Line
Idli Kadai appears to have carried more immediate weight in Tamil Nadu cinema’s opening phase, while Kantara Chapter 2 aimed for broader Indian reach and a sizable global footprint. Both films offered distinct reasons to watch, and Tamil Nadu audiences benefited from choice in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi releases in the same window.
