Toxic is heading for a high-pressure release in the Telugu states. The film is scheduled to hit screens this Wednesday. But with just a day left, advance bookings had still not opened as of Tuesday at 2 AM. This is surprising for a film with such a high breakeven target.
According to trade reports, Toxic needs around Rs. 180-200 crores gross in the Telugu states just to reach breakeven. The film is being released by leading distributor Dil Raju, who has reportedly invested heavily in the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana rights.
Reports suggest that Dil Raju has committed around Rs. 80 crore as an advance to producer KVN for the AP and Telangana rights. The total deal is being discussed at around Rs. 100-120 crore in trade circles.
Dil Raju went ahead with the deal because KVN reportedly gave an assurance that if things go wrong with Toxic, the rights of their upcoming film Kaaka with Chiranjeevi would be offered at reasonable rates. Though these are just industry speculations and nothing is confirmed officially.
With such a huge investment, Dil Raju is looking to recover the money through higher ticket prices. Toxic is seeking ticket price hikes across the Telugu states.
The release also creates an interesting battle in the Nizam market.
Mythri Movie Makers’ Irumudi is currently enjoying extraordinary demand, while Toxic is entering with a large number of screens, grabbing most of Irumudi’s screens in cities like Hyderabad. The situation has reminded some trade observers of the old rivalry between Mythri and Dil Raju.
A similar situation was seen during the HanuMan and Guntur Kaaram clash during Sankranthi 2024. Many felt Guntur Kaaram got more screens despite receiving mixed talk, while HanuMan, which received more positive talk, struggled to get enough theatres.
Dil Raju is reportedly hoping Toxic can give him genuine pan-India success after the Game Changer disaster. But the pressure is huge.
With a massive investment, higher ticket prices and Irumudi already performing strongly, Toxic has very little room for error in the Telugu states.
