What the numbers before release show
On his programme Cinema Strategist, Dhananjayan said that Toxic’s pre-release business is close to Rs 600 crore. Pre-release business is normally the money from selling rights to show the film in cinemas, deals for digital and satellite TV, rights to the music, and other agreements made before the film is actually shown.
Having that much money in advance cuts down the risk for the people who made the film, and shows that those who have bought the rights are sure it will do well. It also allows the producers to get a lot of their money back early, while the cinemas and platforms which show the film are betting that it will do well at the box office, and be popular with the public.
Careful choices about who acts in it, and what each part of India wants
The producer made the point that choosing the actors was the most important part of Toxic’s plan for the whole country. Yash is the main star, but other actors – Nayanthara, Rukmini Vasanth, Tovino Thomas and Amit Karval – were chosen to appeal to people in certain areas.
Dhananjayan said that Nayanthara is becoming more and more well-known beyond the people who already like her work, Rukmini has been doing well in recent films, and Tovino is popular in the Malayalam-speaking area. Every actor was chosen to give the film a face people would recognise in different areas.
Making a real all-India film
Dhananjayan says that a true all-India film is made to appeal to many different kinds of people, rather than just being translated into other languages to be shown more widely. He argued that planning what the film is about, who is in it and how it is advertised for different areas is necessary to get to a national level.
This is shown by the pre-release sales of Toxic, and the way its team seems to have worked out which groups of people in which states would like it. The aim is to get early support from cinemas and platforms who want films which do well in many areas.
When it comes out, and how it is set against other films
Toxic is to come out on March 19, at the same time as a big sequel – which some might see as a risk. Dhananjayan described this as a clever way of placing the film, saying that the release date shows that those who made it are confident, and are trying to put Toxic in the same discussion as well-known series of films.
Coming out on the same weekend can increase the amount of attention from the media and the public, but it also tests whether the film can get a share of the money. The early pre-sales suggest that the cinemas think Toxic has the content and the stars to be able to do well.
The road to Rs 1000 crore, and what to look for
Dhananjayan has often said that films which earn Rs 1000 crore get about 40 to 45 percent of their money from North India. He stresses that this is not by chance, and that it requires choosing actors carefully, making the content to appeal to those people, and advertising in those areas.
After it is released, the most important things to watch will be how much money it makes in its first weekend, what share of the money comes from each area – especially North India – and what people say about it, which will keep people going to the cinema. When it is shown on digital platforms, and how much money it makes abroad, will also affect how well the film does overall.
What happens after success before release
Pre-release business gives a good start, but how the public reacts will decide the final commercial story. Toxic’s advance sales and all-India plan give it a good chance, but the real proof comes when people go to the cinema and talk about the film.
March 19 will show whether the planning and the pre-sales turn into box office success which lasts. For now, Toxic has done the work which many projects would like to, and has put itself forward as one of the most watched films of the year before it is even released.
