# Toxic opens with Rs 54.85 crore day one despite negative reviews 2026-08-26T10:37:01+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets (5 source reports) Yash's Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups earned Rs 54.85 crore net by 2 PM on its Wednesday release, August 26, Hindustan Times reports. The film outpaced Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar day one with just morning shows, selling over 18 lakh tickets in advance worth nearly Rs 60 crore, Sacnilk data cited by the outlet shows. The Geetu Mohandas directorial is Yash's first theatrical outing since KGF: Chapter 2 in 2022. Reviews from Hindustan Times and The Times of India are negative, rating the film 1/5 and 2/5. Critics call the 194-minute runtime a drag, the screenplay a disaster, and intimate scenes forced. The CBFC granted an A certificate after required cuts. The film releases in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Early shows began at 6 am in some cities. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Revenue updates from Hindustan Times dominate coverage, emphasising a Rs 54.85 crore net by 2 PM and the film outpacing Dhurandhar's day one with just morning shows. Reviews from the same outlet and The Times of India instead foreground creative criticism: a 1/5 and 2/5 rating, complaints of a 194-minute runtime dragging the pacing, and split audience reactions on X. The revenue stories underplay the critical rejection, while the reviews treat financial performance as secondary. The balanced reading is that Toxic's advance hype and star power secured a strong opening regardless of mixed-to-negative reviews. The key number to watch is whether word-of-mouth sustains box office beyond day one. ## Coverage Coverage: 5 sources, 5 neutral - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Explains Wednesday release as strategic for Onam and extended run - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with fan celebrations, includes negative early reviews - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Leads with a 1/5 rating, calls film a soulless nightmare - hindustantimes.com (2) (neutral report) Criticises 194-minute runtime, says swag not enough - hindustantimes.com (3) (neutral report) Leads with box office record, notes film braving negative reviews This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 5 sources. Last updated 2026-08-26T10:40:51+00:00. Tags: Bengaluru, Geetu Mohandas, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Toxic, Yash Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/toxic-opens-on-wednesday-for-onam-weekend-momentum/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/toxic-opens-on-wednesday-for-onam-weekend-momentum/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/