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Bengaluru: Yash-starrer Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has faced another setback at the box office, with its newly released English version reportedly selling only around 450 tickets across India on its opening day. The English cut, which arrived in theatres on September 4, recorded a reported collection of just Rs 1.40 lakh from its first day, according to trade data cited by Bollywood Hungama.

The poor response comes as the film is already experiencing a sharp slowdown in its second week. The original Kannada version and dubbed Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam versions were released on August 26, while the English version was introduced separately on September 4 with a shorter runtime.

English version gets limited release

The English version of Toxic was given a particularly limited theatrical release in India. According to trade data, it was screened in only 11 shows across four cities — Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram and Noida. Around 450 tickets were reportedly sold during the first day.

Mumbai and Bengaluru recorded the best occupancy among the four cities, while the number of tickets sold in Gurugram and Noida was reportedly below 25 each. The limited number of shows itself reflects the cautious theatrical strategy adopted for the English version.

The English cut was released after the film’s initial theatrical run in Indian languages had already begun to slow down.

English cut is shorter

The English version is not simply a language change. The makers have released a shorter cut of the film for its English-language theatrical run.

Reports indicate that the English version is around 17 minutes shorter than the original version. The change was announced ahead of its September 4 release as the makers attempted to offer a different theatrical presentation of the film.

Toxic was initially released on August 26 in Kannada along with dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. The separate English release came more than a week later.

Film’s overall box office slows

The weak opening of the English version comes against the backdrop of declining collections for Toxic across its other versions.

According to early trade estimates reported by Bollywood Hungama, the film’s combined collections across languages on September 4 were around Rs 1.50 crore to Rs 1.60 crore. The Kannada version contributed approximately Rs 75 lakh to Rs 80 lakh, while the Hindi version contributed around Rs 70 lakh to Rs 75 lakh.

The Hindi version had reportedly collected Rs 2.54 crore on September 3, meaning its business dropped significantly on the following day.

The report said the Hindi version’s extended first-week collection stood at around Rs 130.09 crore. The film now faces the challenge of maintaining its theatrical run and potentially crossing the Rs 150 crore mark in the Hindi market.

Competition adds pressure

Toxic is also facing increased competition from new releases. Mirzapur: The Movie arrived in theatres on September 4 and opened strongly, with early estimates placing its Day 1 India net collection around Rs 25 crore.

At the same time, Hanuman Ansh has continued to draw attention despite being several weeks into its theatrical run. The competition has made the second-week prospects of Toxic more challenging.

The English version, in particular, entered cinemas at a difficult stage, when audience attention was already being divided between new releases and established films.

Strong opening followed by slowdown

Toxic had a powerful opening day when it was released on August 26. The film recorded an India net collection of around Rs 101.10 crore on its first day, according to industry tracker estimates cited by Business Today.

However, the film subsequently witnessed a substantial decline in daily collections.

By its second Friday, September 4, the film’s business had fallen considerably. Business Today reported an estimated India net total of Rs 241.05 crore by Day 10, with worldwide gross collections reaching around Rs 331 crore.

The contrast between the massive opening and the later slowdown has become one of the major talking points surrounding the film’s theatrical performance.

Yash leads the star-studded cast

Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups stars Yash in the lead role and is directed by Geetu Mohandas.

The film also features Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth and Akshay Oberoi in important roles.

The movie marks Yash’s return to cinemas following the success of the KGF franchise. Expectations were high around the project because of his pan-India popularity and the scale of the production.

However, the film has received mixed reactions from audiences and critics, with discussions around its storytelling and treatment contributing to its word-of-mouth performance. Industry reports have linked the subsequent box-office decline to the mixed response and competition.

What lies ahead for Toxic?

The poor opening of the English version is likely to further limit its theatrical presence. With only 11 shows reported across four cities on the first day, the version already had a restricted exhibition footprint.

Trade reports suggest that screenings could be reduced further over the weekend if occupancy remains weak. Bollywood Hungama reported that, at the current pace, the English version could struggle to reach even Rs 10 lakh in lifetime collections, although such projections remain estimates and can change depending on subsequent bookings and shows.

For the overall film, the focus will now be on how the remaining Indian-language versions perform during the second weekend.

Conclusion

The English version of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has opened to a very limited response in India, with trade data indicating around 450 tickets sold and Rs 1.40 lakh collected on Day 1. The version was screened in only 11 shows across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram and Noida.

The performance comes as the Yash-led film faces a sharp slowdown after its huge opening. While Toxic crossed the Rs 100 crore mark on its first day, its daily collections have fallen substantially since then.

With competition from Mirzapur: The Movie and other releases, the coming days will be crucial in determining how much further Toxic can travel at the box office.