Small-budget Hanuman Ansh gains screens and gears up for global rollout as Yash’s Toxic slows at box office

Bollywood's screen count game is shifting. Yash's much-hyped Toxic opened with a massive Rs 150 crore globally over its opening weekend, but its momentum has since slowed. Meanwhile, Hanuman Ansh is taking the opposite route: starting small and gradually building, with the film now gaining screens that were previously allocated elsewhere.

Hanuman Ansh continues to hold its ground at the box office, with the film putting up an unexpectedly strong number in its fourth week. The film, which began its theatrical run with just Rs 10 lakh from 355 shows and 10% occupancy, has now started competing closely with much bigger releases, including Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups and Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2.

On its 27th day, Wednesday, Hanuman Ansh collected Rs 7.25 crore in India across 7,037 shows. The film recorded an overall occupancy of 29%. Delhi-NCR contributed the highest number of shows, with 1,126 screenings and 31% occupancy, while Mumbai recorded 18% occupancy across 658 shows.

The film’s performance is particularly notable given its modest reported budget of around Rs 2 crore. Hanuman Ansh had a slow start and struggled to attract audiences during its opening weeks. That changed significantly from its 16th day, when the film began seeing a sharp improvement in collections.

It went on to collect Rs 10.40 crore during its third week before bringing in nearly Rs 50 crore in its fourth week. Industry tracker Sacnilk currently puts the film’s India gross collection at Rs 72.32 crore.

Hanuman Ansh vs Toxic on Wednesday

Hanuman Ansh’s latest numbers stand out even more when compared with Toxic. Despite Yash’s film opening to more than Rs 100 crore, Toxic collected Rs 5.10 crore on its second Wednesday. The film recorded 14.2% occupancy across 12,432 shows.

In comparison, Hanuman Ansh, now 27 days into its theatrical run, earned Rs 7.25 crore with a 29% overall occupancy.

Awarapan 2, meanwhile, added Rs 45 lakh on its 20th day. Emraan Hashmi’s film had a strong showing during its first two weeks, although its collections have since slowed.

Hanuman Ansh’s trajectory has therefore been markedly different from the two larger releases. What began as a film with a limited screen presence and a relatively quiet opening has developed into a sustained box-office run, with its collections continuing to rise well into its fourth week.

Trade expert Taran Adarsh told Hindustan Times, cinema, he points out, is ultimately a numbers game. A few months back, the release calendar was crowded, Awarapan 2, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Toxic were all competing for shows, leaving limited space for Hanuman Ansh. But as Toxic's momentum cooled, exhibitors began responding to where audience demand was heading. Adarsh's view is simple: it's about demand and supply.

Hanuman Ansh, based on the life of Neem Karoli Baba, has now built up to roughly 1,500 screens domestically and is preparing for an international rollout on September 11, with Hombale Films handling distribution.

Toxic's IMAX Squeeze

Toxic is also seeing changes to its large-format presence, with Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey taking up more IMAX screens. In IMAX auditoriums across Delhi-NCR and Mumbai, Toxic has been reduced to a single daily show in some locations, while Nolan's epic commands anywhere from three to five.