Cinema VinesGeetu Mohandas’ period drama Toxic opened on August 26 to a historic performance in Kannada cinema, pulling in a staggering ₹140 crore worldwide on its first day. The film surpassed the initial projections of ₹80–85 crore net in India and ₹110 crore gross globally, and crossed the ₹100 crore mark domestically.
India’s box‑office data showed that the Hindi version of the film alone earned ₹55 crore, while the Kannada version managed just over ₹25 crore despite high occupancy. The Telugu dubbed version added another ₹11 crore, bringing the domestic total to ₹101 crore net (₹120 crore gross). In overseas markets, Toxic collected slightly over $2 million, a figure that, while modest compared to blockbusters like Dhurandhar 2 and Pathaan, was enough to secure the second‑highest opening in Kannada film history.
With its opening haul, Toxic entered the top‑15 list of all‑time Indian film openings. It outperformed the first‑day collections of recent high‑profile releases such as Pathaan (₹104 crore), Animal (₹116 crore), Adipurush (₹127 crore) and Jawan (₹129 crore). However, it fell short of Yash’s own record of ₹164 crore set by KGF Chapter 2 and the year’s biggest opening, Dhurandhar 2, which opened at ₹205 crore.
Directed by Geetu Mohandas and starring Yash, Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth and Tara Sutaria, the film has sparked controversy for its steamy scenes and portrayal of women. It was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification with an A‑rating and no cuts. Despite the strong start, the film has received largely negative reviews, which could influence word‑of‑mouth momentum in the coming days.
