The India box office for the August 28–30 weekend was dominated by new arrivals, but the biggest stories came from two films at very different ends of the budget spectrum. Yash’s Toxic emerged as the weekend’s biggest opener by a wide margin, while the modestly made Hanuman Ansh delivered one of the year’s most surprising results. Meanwhile, Irumudi continued to hold strongly, while Hollywood’s presence in the Indian market showed signs of a gradual retreat.
Toxic, Yash’s much-anticipated action drama directed by Geetu Mohandas, released on Wednesday, August 26, and immediately dominated theatres across the country. The film collected ₹75.35 crore from Friday to Sunday, although that figure covers only the three-day weekend. Including its Wednesday and Thursday collections, Toxic has already accumulated ₹215.19 crore in its extended five-day run.
The film has received a sharply divided critical response, with several reviews pointing to a problematic first half and a stronger second half. However, the mixed reception has done little to slow the extraordinary opening numbers, with audience curiosity surrounding Yash’s return and his enormous fan following driving strong footfalls from the first shows on Wednesday.
The ₹215.19 crore extended five-day total already places Toxic among the biggest Kannada-language openings in history. The bigger test, however, will come in the second week, when the initial fan-driven excitement begins to settle and word of mouth becomes a more important factor in determining the film’s theatrical trajectory.
Irumudi, the Malayalam-language action blockbuster that dominated last weekend’s chart, remained strong in second place with ₹37.4 crore from Friday to Sunday. The result comes in the film’s second weekend and underlines its impressive staying power. Its cumulative India total has now moved well past ₹100 crore, cementing its position as one of the biggest Malayalam releases of 2026.
The weekend’s biggest surprise, however, came from Hanuman Ansh. The devotional action film collected ₹28.25 crore to finish third. Made on a reported budget of just ₹2 crore, the film has now crossed the ₹40 crore mark and is delivering an extraordinary return on investment.
What makes Hanuman Ansh‘s performance particularly remarkable is the growth between its opening weekend and second weekend. After collecting ₹6.26 crore in its opening weekend, the film jumped to ₹28.25 crore in its second frame, with word of mouth emerging as the key driver. The performance demonstrates how a small devotional film can build an audience organically and outperform films made on budgets many times larger.
Hi opened in fourth place with ₹5.70 crore, giving the new Tamil release a solid start in a crowded marketplace.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man: Brand New Day slipped to fifth place in its fifth weekend, collecting ₹4.95 crore. The film has now crossed the ₹500 crore gross mark in India, becoming the first Hollywood film to reach the milestone in the country. Despite newer releases taking over the top positions, the Marvel blockbuster continues to maintain a strong presence deep into its theatrical run.
Awarapan 2 dropped to sixth with ₹3.85 crore in its third weekend. The Emraan Hashmi-led film continues to be one of the year’s major Hindi success stories, with its theatrical total continuing to climb.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey remained in the Top 10 in its seventh weekend, collecting ₹2.13 crore. The film has now crossed ₹180 crore in India, an impressive result for an English-language epic with a runtime of nearly three hours.
Tom & Cherry opened at No. 8 with ₹1.48 crore, followed by Once More with ₹1.13 crore at No. 9. Tony rounded out the Top 10 with ₹0.43 crore.
Further down the chart, Batwara 1947 continued its theatrical decline with just ₹0.22 crore, effectively bringing its run to an end.
The August 28–30 weekend offered a revealing snapshot of India’s increasingly diverse theatrical market. Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi-language films occupied the top three positions, while a ₹2 crore devotional film comfortably secured the third spot. At the same time, Hollywood, which had dominated the Indian box office only a few weeks ago with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, has now moved into the middle of the chart.
With Drishyam: The Conclusion arriving on October 2, Ramayana: Part 1 targeting Diwali and awards season approaching, the Indian theatrical market still has several major releases ahead that could significantly reshape the box office rankings.
India Weekend Box Office: August 28–30
- 1. Toxic — ₹75.35 crore (Weekend only; extended five-day total: ₹215.19 crore)
- 2. Irumudi — ₹37.40 crore
- 3. Hanuman Ansh — ₹28.25 crore
- 4. Hi (2026) — ₹5.70 crore
- 5. Spider-Man: Brand New Day — ₹4.95 crore
- 6. Awarapan 2 — ₹3.85 crore
- 7. The Odyssey — ₹2.13 crore
- 8. Tom & Cherry — ₹1.48 crore
- 9. Once More — ₹1.13 crore
- 10. Tony (2026) — ₹0.43 crore
