CHENNAI: Two big-ticket films, Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups and Dhurandhar 2, are set to release on March 19, 2026, leading up to a major box-office clash during the Eid festival weekend.
The simultaneous release of the two high-profile films has sparked industry discussion and fan debate over their potential impact on each other’s theatrical business. Headlined by Yash and Ranveer Singh respectively, Toxic and Dhurandhar 2 are positioned as large-scale releases, raising concerns that opening on the same day could split audiences and screens, despite wide releases.
In an interview with Variety, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has termed the clash “unfortunate.” Drawing from his own experience during the box-office clash between his film Kaabil and Raees, he suggested that when two films open together, they tend to “eat into each other’s business.”
Gupta also pointed out that audiences do not have “money flowing” to watch two films simultaneously, adding that while both films may perform well, they may not achieve their full individual potential because of shared release date.
As reported by Variety, Yash is adamant about retaining the March 19 release date for Toxic despite the clash with Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2, with a source stating that "Yash is a very good businessman. If he had felt threatened by Dhurandhar 2, he would have considered postponing it."
However, the source added that Yash is said to be unhappy that the makers of Dhurandhar 2 did not inform him of their Eid release plans despite Toxic having locked the date last year.
Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is an upcoming period gangster film directed by Geetu Mohandas. The film stars Yash in the lead, alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth, and is jointly produced by Venkat K Narayana and Yash under the banners KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations.
Dhurandhar 2 (Dhurandhar: The Revenge) has Ranveer Singh reprising his role as an undercover agent, who continues his mission infiltrating Pakistan’s criminal syndicates. The film also features Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. Written and directed by Aditya Dhar, the spy action thriller is produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar and Lokesh Dhar under Jio Studios and B62 Studios.