The Indian box office is currently witnessing an unexpected turn of events, with superstar Yash's ambitious project 'Toxic' facing significant challenges, while the low-budget 'Hanuman Ansh' stages a miraculous comeback.
'Toxic' Collections Decline Sharply
Despite a strong opening, 'Toxic' has seen its collections plummet daily since its release. Industry tracker Sacnilk reported the film opened with ₹101.10 crore and reached ₹239.30 crore by the end of its first week. However, its performance on day 10 (second Friday) was dismal, earning just ₹1.75 crore at the domestic box office. This brings its total India net collection to ₹241.05 crore, with gross domestic earnings at ₹287.75 crore.
Overseas, 'Toxic' added ₹50 lakh on its second Friday, pushing its total international gross to ₹43.25 crore. The film's worldwide gross currently stands at ₹331 crore. Poor word-of-mouth and stiff competition from films like 'Hanuman Ansh' and 'Mirzapur The Movie' have severely impacted 'Toxic'.
The English version of 'Toxic', released on Friday, proved to be a complete disaster. It was screened in only 11 shows across four major Indian cities—Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram, and Noida—and managed to earn a paltry ₹1.4 lakh. With only 450 tickets sold on its opening day, distributors are reportedly struggling to recover their investments, signaling a potential disaster for the film.
'Hanuman Ansh' Achieves Miraculous Growth
In a surprising twist, 'Hanuman Ansh', a biopic on Neem Karoli Baba directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, has emerged as an underdog success story. After a quiet start with an opening of only ₹10 lakh, the film's collections grew exponentially due to overwhelmingly positive word-of-mouth.
- Week 1: ₹1.08 crore
- Week 2: ₹40 lakh
- Week 3: ₹10.40 crore
- Week 4: ₹61 crore
On its fifth Friday, 'Hanuman Ansh' garnered an impressive ₹10 crore, bringing its total India net collection to ₹82.88 crore and its domestic gross to ₹97.77 crore.
Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh highlighted the film's extraordinary trajectory, noting a staggering 6,337% growth in its fourth week compared to its first. Adarsh compared its remarkable run to the 1975 phenomenon 'Jai Santoshi Maa'. Trade analyst Rohit Jaiswal predicts 'Hanuman Ansh' will cross the ₹100 crore mark by Sunday and aims for ₹150 crore net in India, with potential to even reach ₹200 crore as it expands into southern markets.