Toxic box office Day 9: Another 30 per cent drop, Yash film shows no recovery signs

Yash's Toxic fell 30 per cent on Day 9 as Hanuman Ansh continued its unexpected box-office rise. The contrast has sharpened focus on Toxic's second-week hold and the industry's late response to Hanuman Ansh.

In Short

• Toxic's box office collection fell 30 per cent on Day 9 to Rs 5.45 crore nett in India
• Film's India nett total reached Rs 235.05 crore after nine days
• Hindi and Kannada versions led domestic earnings, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam contributed less

Yash-starrer Toxic continued to slow down at the box office on Day 8, with the film recording another drop in its daily collection. After earning Rs 7.85 crore on Day 8, the Geetu Mohandas directorial collected Rs 5.45 crore nett (gross minus taxes) in India on Thursday, registering a decline of around 30 per cent. The latest number suggest that the big-budget action film is yet to find a recovery in its second week.

According to trade website Sacnilk, Toxic's India nett collection stood at Rs 235.05 crore after nine days. Its India gross collection was around Rs 280.70 crore, while the film's worldwide gross had crossed Rs 322 crore. Despite the film's strong opening and substantial theatrical footprint, its daily collections have been steadily declining since the first week.

The Day 9 performance is particularly noteworthy because Toxic had already witnessed a sharp correction after its opening. The film began its theatrical run with an estimated Rs 120.75 crore gross worldwide on Day 1, with 24,579 shows and a blended occupancy of 56.1 per cent. However, the momentum has not carried into the second week at the same pace.

Toxic sees another drop in second week

On Day 9, Toxic collected Rs 5.45 crore nett in India, a significant drop from the Rs 7.85 crore it earned on Day 8. The film's declining daily numbers indicate that it is struggling to maintain the momentum generated by its massive opening.

The film's performance is also being driven largely by its Hindi and Kannada versions. The Hindi version continued to contribute the bulk of its domestic earnings, while the Kannada version maintained a comparatively stronger occupancy. The Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam versions made smaller contributions to the overall collection.

With Toxic now entering the second weekend, the next few days will be crucial. A substantial jump over Friday and the weekend could help the film stabilise its run, but the 30 per cent decline on Day 9 means the film currently has little indication of a sustained recovery.

Hanuman Ansh continues to surprise

The slowdown of Toxic becomes even more interesting when viewed alongside the extraordinary run of Hanuman Ansh. The devotional drama, made on a reported budget of around Rs 2 crore, started with just Rs 10 lakh on its opening day but gradually gained momentum through positive word of mouth.

The film is now in its fourth week and has been delivering numbers that are surprising even when compared with much larger releases. On Day 26, Hanuman Ansh earned Rs 8.50 crore nett, surpassing Toxic's Rs 7.85 crore Day 8 collection despite playing across only 7,008 shows compared with Toxic's 12,894 shows.

The contrast highlights two very different box-office trajectories. While Toxic opened as one of the year's biggest releases and is reportedly made on a budget of around Rs 500 crore, Hanuman Ansh started as a small-scale film before building an audience over several weeks.

All about Toxic

Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic stars Yash alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, Akshay Oberoi and Sudev Nair. Set in post-Independence Goa, the film chronicles the life of Raya and how his guilt and trauma destroys him from within.

For now, Toxic remains a major theatrical performer in terms of its cumulative collection, but the second-week slowdown is becoming increasingly evident. The coming weekend will determine whether the film can arrest the decline or whether its box-office run will continue to lose steam.

- Ends