’Toxic’ faces setback, uncertainty over OTT rights

Yash's much-talked about and critically acclaimed film 'Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups' has been facing one challenge after another since its release. After its box office performance did not meet the expectations, there is now uncertainty over the sale of the film's OTT (digital streaming) rights.

Various trade reports claim that the potential loss to the makers of the film could exceed Rs 300 crore, making it one of the biggest financial losses in the history of Indian cinema, according to analysts. 

According to a report in Bollywood Hungama, the digital rights of 'Toxic' have not been finally sold yet. It is learnt that the makers had received an offer of around Rs 150 crore from a major streaming platform before its release. However, the deal did not materialise as they were expecting a price of Rs 200 crore or more. 

The makers had thought that if the film was a big success in the theatres, it would be possible to sell the OTT rights at a higher price. But after the film's strong performance at the box office, streaming platforms are now offering lower prices. According to Pratiban, the highest offer currently is around Rs 30 crore. It is learnt that Geo-5 is among the companies interested in buying the digital rights.

New edit for OTT

The makers are considering re-editing the digital version of the film to reduce the amount of losses. It is believed that the film will not earn much money from the satellite rights, especially due to the adult-oriented story. In this situation, the makers are said to have tried to get a better deal through the new edit, in addition to making the film more suitable for OTT viewers.

Disappointment at the box office too

Toxic was released in theaters on August 26. The film grossed around Rs 120 crore on its first day in India, but saw a significant drop in its earnings from the next day onwards. Various reports have mentioned that the film's business was affected by the mixed response from the audience. 

The film's gross in India is likely to be below Rs 250 crore, which could be a huge financial loss for the makers, given the huge budget.