Toxic has been a content failure of sorts. So much was riding on the biggie, and Sandalwood itself was betting big on the success of Yash's gangster action drama. That's because the Kannada film industry has been in doldrums this year.
In Sandalwood, the success ratio has reportedly fallen to less than 1%. "Output remains high with over 250 annual releases, but the box office success rate has dropped to critical lows. Most theatrical titles fail to recover basic production budgets," a recent Sandalwood trade report says.
Major star-driven tentpole projects have experienced long delays, particularly Toxic, which got delayed by a year. Meanwhile, mid-budget films struggle to secure lucrative digital streaming deals. Rishab Shetty is not able to do two movies a year. Upendra, Kichcha Sudeepa, and Rakshit Shetty need to do far more often.
In major hubs like Bengaluru, local releases are so unpopular that big-budget Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi films have been the saving grace. "PVR-INOX operates 219 screens across Karnataka. Without Telugu films releasing in Karnataka, 50% of these screens would shut down," a Daily Culture report mentions.
