Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups arrived in theatres with the kind of scale usually associated with major pan-India releases. Hanuman Ansh, meanwhile, began its theatrical journey with almost none of that advantage. Yet less than a month later, the small devotional drama has produced one of the most unexpected box-office stories of 2026 by earning more than Toxic on a single day in India. On its 26th day, Hanuman Ansh collected an estimated ₹8.50 crore net, while Toxic managed ₹8.20 crore on its seventh day.
The difference is only ₹30 lakh, but the circumstances make the result remarkable. Toxic opened as a large-scale release starring Yash, Kiara Advani and Nayanthara, while Hanuman Ansh is a low-budget spiritual drama centered on Neem Karoli Baba. The former entered theatres with thousands of shows and a major promotional campaign, whereas the latter reportedly began with only a few hundred shows before losing screens in its second week. Its subsequent recovery has completely changed the picture.
Hanuman Ansh turned a ₹10 lakh opening into a hit
The biggest surprise in the Hanuman Ansh story is not simply that it passed Toxic on one Tuesday. It is how dramatically the film changed its trajectory after starting with almost no momentum. Released on August 7, the Vishal Chaturvedi-directed film opened to around ₹10 lakh, a figure that suggested it might disappear from theatres within days. Instead, audience word-of-mouth slowly turned the film into a theatrical phenomenon.
Its screen count initially moved in the wrong direction before exhibitors began responding to the growing demand. Hindustan Times reported that the film started with around 250 theatres, dropped to just 25 within a week and eventually expanded to about 1,200 screens during its fourth week. That kind of expansion is highly unusual for a film that does not have a major star at its center. The same report put its production budget at ₹1.7 crore and its India collection at ₹45 crore after 25 days.
By Day 26, other industry reports placed Hanuman Ansh at ₹54.13 crore net in India, with ₹63.82 crore gross. The film’s fourth-week surge has therefore become more significant than its initial opening, with its theatrical run continuing to strengthen instead of following the usual pattern of a steep decline after the first weekend. India Today also noted that the film was playing across 6,587 shows on its 25th day, compared with 13,400 shows for Toxic on Day 6.
That screen-to-collection comparison tells an important part of the story. Hanuman Ansh does not need to match Toxic in overall scale to make headlines; it is winning the attention battle because of how efficiently it has converted audience interest into theatrical demand. Exhibitors have increasingly added shows as the film has continued to perform, creating a rare situation where a small release gains visibility weeks after arriving in cinemas.
Why Toxic’s comparison is so striking
The Toxic comparison needs some context because the two films are operating at very different levels. Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic was designed as a major pan-India action release and arrived in theatres on August 26 across multiple languages. Its opening was much larger, and reports placed its first-day India net collection at more than ₹100 crore in some estimates, although box-office trackers differ considerably on the exact figures.
The problem for Toxic has been the sharp correction after its opening. The film’s Day 2 collection fell substantially from its first day, and the subsequent daily figures have been far removed from the enormous expectations created by its launch. That does not mean Toxic has suddenly become a box-office disaster, particularly because its worldwide earnings and overall theatrical scale remain vastly larger than Hanuman Ansh. The more relevant point is that a film with a huge star, multiple languages and a much wider release can now be beaten in a single-day India comparison by a devotional movie that began with almost no theatrical presence.
That contrast also highlights how unpredictable theatrical business can become when audience word-of-mouth takes over. Hanuman Ansh did not have the conventional ingredients of a major commercial release, but its subject appears to have found an audience that was willing to keep recommending it. The film’s late growth has been strong enough for trade watchers to describe it as one of the year’s most surprising success stories.
Neem Karoli Baba’s story found its audience
Hanuman Ansh is based on the life of Lakshman Das, who became widely revered as Neem Karoli Baba, also known as Maharaj Ji. The film follows his spiritual journey from his early years and explores the transformation that eventually made him a respected spiritual figure. Vishal Chaturvedi, a doctor-turned-filmmaker, wrote and directed the project, while Chandan Anand and Shobhinaw Satyaa are among the principal performers.
The modest scale of the production makes its theatrical performance even more unusual. The film was made for around ₹2 crore according to the supplied source, while Hindustan Times has cited a budget of ₹1.7 crore from Chaturvedi. The director himself described the response as unexpected, saying, “At ₹1.7Cr we just wanted the audience to watch and the investment to return but it did wonders (according to data ₹45Cr only in India and counting).”
The film’s success also shows why devotional cinema cannot always be judged through conventional star-driven box-office logic. A recognizable subject, strong community interest and positive word-of-mouth can sometimes keep a film alive long after its opening weekend has passed. In this case, the audience arrived gradually, and that gradual rise appears to have convinced exhibitors that the film deserved more shows.
What made Hanuman Ansh’s box office run unusual?
What factors contributed to the unexpected success of Hanuman Ansh?
The film appears to have benefited from sustained word-of-mouth, growing audience interest in its spiritual subject and a late expansion in theatrical shows. Its unusual fourth-week growth suggests that demand developed over time rather than being concentrated around the opening.
How did Hanuman Ansh beat Toxic on Day 26?
Hanuman Ansh collected an estimated ₹8.50 crore net in India on its 26th day, while Toxic earned ₹8.20 crore on its seventh day. The comparison is about daily domestic collections, not their overall box-office totals.
Is Hanuman Ansh bigger than Toxic overall?
No. The two films remain in completely different commercial categories, with Toxic enjoying a much larger release and far greater overall earnings potential. The significance lies in Hanuman Ansh outperforming it on a particular day despite its tiny budget and initially limited theatrical footprint.
What is Hanuman Ansh about?
The film tells the story of Lakshman Das and his spiritual journey toward becoming Neem Karoli Baba. It focuses on the figure’s life and spiritual legacy rather than following the conventional structure of a star-led commercial entertainer.
Who directed Hanuman Ansh?
Vishal Chaturvedi wrote and directed the film. He is a doctor-turned-filmmaker and has described the movie’s theatrical response as audience-driven and unexpected.
Can Hanuman Ansh cross ₹100 crore?
The supplied source suggests that possibility, but the available reports currently establish that the film has already crossed ₹50 crore net in India rather than confirming a ₹100 crore finish. Whether it reaches that milestone will depend on how long exhibitors continue to retain its screens and whether the fourth-week momentum continues.
For Toxic, the immediate challenge is no longer about opening big but about sustaining audience interest through the coming days. For Hanuman Ansh, the challenge is almost the reverse: the film has already proven that an audience exists, and now exhibitors have to decide how much longer they can keep allocating screens to a movie that started as a tiny release. Whatever happens next, this unusual Tuesday comparison has already become a striking reminder that box-office momentum does not always belong to the biggest star or the biggest budget.
