Our Bureau
Mumbai
Kannada superstar Yash’s much‑anticipated film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown‑Ups has been pushed back to June 4, 2026, after the makers cited “escalating tensions in the Middle East” as a key reason for the delay. The action‑drama, originally slated for a March 19 global release, will now unspool in cinemas worldwide in Kannada and English, giving distributors time to reassess its rollout in the Gulf region.
The film was expected to square off at the box office against Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2 on Eid 2026, setting up one of the year’s biggest trade contests. However, with Toxic defecting from the March 19 date, Dhurandhar 2 will now enjoy a solo opening, avoiding what industry trackers had billed as a high‑stakes “Dhuroxic” clash.
In a brief statement, KVN Productions said the decision followed serious uncertainty around cinema operations in the Middle East, a key market for its multi‑language release. Trade analysts note that shifting so close to the original date, less than two weeks before opening, also hints at softer early tracking and concerns about competing with a heavily‑hyped Bollywood tentpole.
For Yash, the June 4 slot buys breathing room to recalibrate the film’s marketing and exploit a less crowded window, but it also raises questions about audience readiness for a big‑budget, pan‑Indian outing. With Toxic promoted as a “fairy tale for grown‑ups,” the new date will test whether the star’s global appeal can translate into sustained box‑office legs beyond the Gulf circuit.
