Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has finally arrived in theatres, and the numbers at the booking window suggest that the four-year wait for the star’s return could translate into a huge opening day. Directed by Geetu Mohandas, the gangster drama hit screens worldwide on Wednesday, August 26, with shows beginning as early as 6 am in several markets.
The film had already built a formidable lead before its first show. By Tuesday evening, Toxic had recorded an India-tracked advance gross of Rs 61.99 crore, with nearly 19.2 lakh tickets sold across 24,930 shows in 3,628 theatres, according to Track Tollywood data. Karnataka remained the biggest contributor at Rs 21.08 crore, while Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh were among the other major markets. Bengaluru alone accounted for over Rs 15 crore in advance sales.
The scale of the pre-sales has put Toxic firmly in the Rs 100 crore worldwide opening conversation. Trade projections have placed its India gross for Day 1 in the Rs 80-100 crore range, with the Hindi version alone expected to contribute around Rs 40 crore if walk-in demand remains strong. A Rs 100-120 crore worldwide debut would put the film in an elite club and make it only the second Kannada film after KGF: Chapter 2 to cross the Rs 100 crore mark globally on its opening day.
What makes the opening particularly significant is the trajectory of the bookings. The film crossed the Rs 40 crore mark in advance sales on Tuesday and continued to add tickets rapidly through the final hours before release. The Hindi market has also emerged as a crucial factor, with the dubbed version showing strong demand in national chains.
The first-day frenzy is visible beyond the booking figures as well. Bengaluru theatres saw fans gathering for early-morning shows, with celebrations including crackers and chenda melam. Additional shows were also being added in markets such as Mumbai amid demand, while Telangana and Andhra Pradesh received approval for increased ticket prices. Andhra Pradesh also permitted a 6 am special show with tickets priced at Rs 600.
However, Toxic now faces the more important test: converting the fan-driven opening into sustained business. The film carries an A certificate and a runtime of over three hours, while early reactions to the film have been mixed. Some viewers have praised Yash’s screen presence, action sequences and the film’s visual scale, while others have raised concerns about its writing, editing and pacing.
The stakes are particularly high for Yash. KGF: Chapter 2 established him as a pan-India star and went on to gross over Rs 1,200 crore worldwide, with its Hindi version making a major contribution to that run. Toxic does not have the advantage of being a sequel, making its opening even more dependent on Yash’s star power and the audience response to Geetu Mohandas’ standalone gangster saga.
