Yash is back, and the box office has wasted no time responding. Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, directed by Geetu Mohandas, has reportedly grossed ₹140.75 crore worldwide on its opening day. In India, the film has collected ₹101.10 crore net and ₹120.75 crore gross, giving Yash a big opening four years after KGF: Chapter 2.
Produced by KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, Toxic has Yash leading a large ensemble cast that includes Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Rukmini Vasanth, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, Sudev Nair and Akshay Oberoi. The film released across Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam, giving it a wide theatrical footprint from Day 1.
The film had 24,579 shows across India on Day 1, reflecting the demand for Yash’s return to the big screen. But the most striking number comes from the Hindi market.
The Hindi version has collected ₹55 crore net, more than twice the ₹23.30 crore earned by the Kannada version. For a Kannada film starring one of the biggest stars from the state, that gap is hard to ignore. It also shows how far Yash’s popularity has travelled since KGF took him to a national audience.
The other versions have also added to the opening. The Telugu version has collected ₹16 crore net, while Tamil stands at ₹5.50 crore and Malayalam at ₹1.30 crore. Overseas markets have contributed around ₹20 crore gross.
Put together, Toxic has crossed the ₹140 crore mark worldwide in a single day.
But the box office number comes with a small catch. The audience response has not been as unanimous as the opening.
Yash has received plenty of praise from those who have watched the film. His screen presence, look, action scenes and swagger have been repeatedly mentioned in the early reactions. For his fans, there is clearly enough of the Yash they came to see.
The film itself, however, has divided viewers. The three-hour-plus runtime has tested some audiences, while the writing and pacing have drawn criticism. A section of viewers has also felt that the film’s visual ambition is stronger than its emotional pull. The editing, particularly the way the story moves through its characters and different stretches of the narrative, has also come under discussion.
That makes the next few days important. A film can open on star power and advance bookings, but it needs audiences to return if the numbers are to stay strong.
Toxic has already got the opening. Now it has to prove that the audience will carry it through the festival weekend.