PremiumToby box-office Day 1: Raj B Shetty’s film has slow start but picks up pace and how!
Toby was a festival release on Varamahalakshmi, which was not a government holiday, so the morning and noon show occupancy was relatively low
Last Updated: 07.49 PM, Aug 26, 2023
Raj B Shetty released his film Toby in theatres on August 25, which was a festival in Karnataka, but not a government holiday. The initial response to the film was a tad dull, with morning shows not registering more than 30-35 per cent occupancy. However, once positive word-of-mouth started spreading about the film, there was an upward tick in bookings across Karnataka, with late afternoon shows onward going houseful in several theatres.
By the end of day 1, several trade sites reported that the film had grossed in the vicinity of Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.15 crore, with some speculating that it could be higher, in the range of Rs 1.3-1.5 crore, with close to 70,000 tickets sold. The film has not been released with hiked ticket rates, with single-screen tickets going between Rs 100 and 200 with multiplex charges slightly higher. The prediction for day 2, based on the ticket sales across the state is that the film could rake in close to Rs 2 crore. While the team has not publicly spoken about the film’s final budget, Raj has said that it is the biggest in terms of money and scale for his banner. Sources suggest that the film’s final budget would be within Rs 10 crore.
Read our review: Toby movie review: Raj B Shetty presents a heart-achingly beautiful and tragic tale
Toby, distributed by KVN Productions, was released in Karnataka with a target of about 200-odd screens, with a few centres across the country also getting a couple of screens each. The film was released in the Kannada original version only, although the team has dubbed it in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. These versions will be released if there is sufficient demand for the same. Raj has retained those rights with him and is not selling remake rights like he did with Ondu Motteya Kathe and Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana. The film’s digital and satellite rights have not been sold yet, but sources suggest that an offer has been tabled by a mainstream platform.