Sting

BY SACNILK

Drew McIntyre's WWE comeback could have looked very different. After being released by WWE on June 12, 2014, McIntyre spent roughly three years rebuilding himself outside the company. He wrestled around the world under the name Drew Galloway and gradually developed into a far more established performer before WWE came calling again. When that opportunity finally arrived, however, McIntyre did not want to simply walk back into Raw or SmackDown. Speaking about his return during his conversation with Stone Cold Steve Austin, McIntyre explained that Triple H and William Regal had been following his career during his time away from WWE. “He'd been watching what I was doing, was kinda proud of what I'd achieved as a wrestler but, more importantly, how I'd grown as a man and where I was at,” McIntyre recalled. That phone call from Triple H was particularly meaningful because McIntyre knew he had earned another opportunity with WWE rather than simply being handed one. “And, you know, we both decided it was time to come back home,” McIntyre said. McIntyre Had His Mind Made Up. Once Triple H explained that the plan was for him to return through NXT, McIntyre did not need much convincing. In fact, the former WWE Superstar said he was effectively sold on the idea within the first few minutes. “I was coming back. I was sold within the first five minutes,” McIntyre said. But there was an important reason why NXT appealed to him. McIntyre believed the NXT audience consisted of the hardcore wrestling fans who had followed his career outside WWE. These were fans who knew what he had accomplished as Drew Galloway on the independent scene and could therefore understand how much he had changed since his first WWE run. McIntyre revealed that he was very clear with Triple H about where he wanted to begin. “I won't go to ‘Raw.’ I won't go to ‘SmackDown.’ I wanna go to NXT.” He continued: “That's the audience that know what I'm all about. They're the ones that are the hardcore fans. They're watching independent wrestling. They know who Drew Galloway is, Drew McIntyre is these days.” For McIntyre, returning through NXT was not about taking an easier route back to WWE. It was about proving that he deserved another opportunity. “I can be a leader there. That's where I wanna start out. I wanna prove myself there.” McIntyre's comments are particularly interesting because, at the time, Raw and SmackDown were traditionally viewed as the top destinations for WWE talent. However, McIntyre had a different perspective after spending years away from the company. He had already experienced the main roster during his first WWE run. Rather than immediately returning to the same environment, he wanted to establish the new version of Drew McIntyre in NXT.

BY SACNILK

WWE has confirmed a stacked slate of European shows leading into the Royal Rumble, with fans across Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, Hungary, and Ireland set to catch live action throughout January 2027. The tour opens on Friday, January 15, with SmackDown taking over Forest National in Brussels, Belgium. The following night, Saturday, January 16, the Road to Royal Rumble Supershow rolls into Gliwice, Poland, at the PreZero Arena, before continuing on Sunday, January 17, with another Supershow stop at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Raw kicks off the week on Monday, January 18, live from the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, UK. The tour then heads back to England for SmackDown on Friday, January 22, at Co-op Live in Manchester. The second weekend of Road to Royal Rumble Supershow events follows, with Stockholm, Sweden's Avicii Arena hosting on Saturday, January 23, and Budapest, Hungary's MVM Dome welcoming fans on Sunday, January 24. The European leg wraps up with Raw at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, on Monday, January 25. With Royal Rumble season officially underway, these shows are expected to feature key build-up matches and storyline developments as WWE Superstars gear up for one of the promotion's biggest events of the year.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, August 10 - The Indian box office witnessed another fascinating week as Hollywood continued to dominate the conversation, led by the historic run of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Tom Holland-led Marvel blockbuster not only maintained its extraordinary momentum in its second weekend but also created history by becoming the highest-grossing non-Indian film ever in the country, surpassing Avatar: The Way of Water. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) At the same time, Lokesh Kanagaraj's acting debut DC: The Bloody Valentine delivered a surprisingly strong start, giving the weekend another talking point despite arriving with a much smaller footprint. Brand New Day was already rewriting the record books after its phenomenal opening week, and the second weekend only strengthened its position. The film collected around 96+ crore gross over its second weekend, taking its India gross to nearly 497 crore and comfortably surpassing Avatar: The Way of Water, which had finished with around 477.50 crore. The achievement makes Spider-Man: Brand New Day the first Hollywood film to breach the 500 crore gross mark in India. What makes Spider-Man's run even more impressive is the sheer consistency after its record-breaking opening. The film opened with around 72.50 crore gross on Thursday and went on to cross 300 crore net within just four days. It remained exceptionally strong in the second weekend, scripting history for Hollywood. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) While the Marvel movie dominated the box office, DC emerged as the surprise performer of the week. The Arun Matheswaran-directed Tamil action thriller, starring Lokesh Kanagaraj and Wamiqa Gabbi, opened at 5+ crore gross on Friday before jumping to 8+ crore on Saturday and 11 crore on Sunday. Its three-day India gross therefore stood at 24+ crore, representing a strong weekend for a film arriving without the scale or nationwide penetration of the major Hollywood blockbuster. The contrast between the two films makes the week's box-office story particularly interesting. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is operating at a completely different commercial level, breaking the biggest Hollywood records in the country and crossing 500 crore gross at an unprecedented pace. DC, meanwhile, has shown that a regional film with a distinct identity can still punch above its weight when audience interest translates into strong weekend growth.

BY SACNILK

Zee Studios and producer Prerna Arora have officially announced their new project titled Indraputra. This mythological action-fantasy film is being developed for a worldwide theatrical release in 2027. According to production schedules, principal photography is set to begin in October 2026. The project is being designed as a large-scale cinematic experience, with the makers focusing on a theatrical rollout to showcase the visual effects and mythological storytelling involved. At the helm of this ambitious venture is filmmaker Srikanth Puppala, who is making his feature directorial debut with a massive canvas. While this is his first time in the director’s chair for a feature film, Puppala brings an extensive industry background to the table. He notably honed his craft working as the first assistant director to Rishab Shetty on the highly anticipated historical epic Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1. This Kantara connection has already piqued the interest of trade circles, as the director is expected to bring a similar level of visual authenticity and technical precision to this new mythological universe. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Leading the film is Telugu star Kiran Abbavaram, who is currently undergoing a significant physical transformation for this rough-cut mythological avatar. He enters this project following a successful and versatile career run, most recently riding high on the theatrical release of Chennai Love Story. Abbavaram's filmography, including hits like SR Kalyanamandapam and the highly praised 2024 period thriller KA. By shifting from suspense thrillers and mass entertainers to this mythology-rooted world, the actor is set to further expand his pan-Indian reach with this grand cinematic presentation. This film serves as a highly anticipated reunion between Zee Studios and prominent producer Prerna Arora. The two entities previously collaborated on the 2016 National Award-winning hit Rustom starring Akshay Kumar, and Indraputra marks their first joint foray into a sprawling South-centric mythological saga. Zee Studios has been aggressively expanding its regional footprint lately, balancing massive theatrical crowd-pleasers like Jaat and Dhadak 2 with selective direct-to-digital releases like the crime drama Satluj. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The vision for Indraputra extends far beyond a single film, as it is designed to kickstart an interconnected mythological saga—a strategy that positions Zee Studios alongside other major modern fantasy lineups like the Sanatan Universe and Hombale Films' Mahavatar Cinematic Universe. Interestingly, producer Prerna Arora has a multi-project relationship locked with the studio, having already partnered with them for the project Jatadhara.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, August 10 - The highly anticipated third season of Asur is finally moving into production. The crime thriller has been one of the most successful Indian web series, and now the third season is set to go on the floor in September 2026, with Arshad Warsi and Barun Sobti returning to reprise their respective characters, Dhananjay Rajpoot and Nikhil Nair. According to the latest report by Pinkvilla, the upcoming season will also see Shweta Basu Prasad joining the cast. While details about her character are currently being kept under wraps, her addition brings another prominent name to the psychological thriller. The script for Asur Season 3 has reportedly been locked, while the makers are continuing to finalise the remaining cast. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Interestingly, Gaurav Shukla, who created and wrote the first two seasons, will reportedly take over as the director for the third instalment. This will mark Shukla's directorial debut. He will also serve as a producer on the series. Oni Sen directed the first two seasons. Asur's first season was released in 2020, followed by Season 2 in 2023 after the massive success. It has developed a strong following for its dark narrative combining crime, mythology and psychological elements. With Warsi and Sobti returning, Season 3 is expected to continue the story while introducing new characters and conflicts. The series will stream on JioHotstar, with the release date expected to be announced at a later stage.

BY SACNILK

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming magnum opus, Love and War, has been a major talking point in the industry since it was first announced. Featuring the powerhouse trio of Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, the film is easily one of the most anticipated releases of 2027. As we get closer to the production stages, the commercial interest in the project has come under the spotlight. According to an exclusive report by Variety India, a high-stakes bidding war is currently underway between three major distribution giants: Dharma Productions, Zee Studios, and Pen Marudhar. The negotiations highlight just how valuable this property is in the current market. Sources suggest that the bidders are currently offering between 175 Crore and 180 Crore for the theatrical distribution rights. However, the makers are reportedly holding out for a much higher figure, demanding upwards of 300 Crore. This gap in valuation is common for a project of this scale, especially given Bhansali's track record for delivering visually stunning and commercially successful epics. Securing a distribution partner this early would significantly reduce the recovery pressure on the production as it heads toward its 2027 release. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) What makes Love and War a relatively safe bet for distributors is its incredible recovery through non-theatrical avenues. The film has already reportedly recovered over 200 Crore before a single frame has been released to the public. Netflix has secured the post-theatrical streaming rights for a staggering 130 Crore, while music and satellite rights have brought in another 70 to 80 Crore. This financial cushion allows the makers to negotiate from a position of strength. The film is being produced on a grand scale, and the multi-language release in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil ensures a pan-Indian footprint. The casting remains the film's biggest asset, bringing together three of the finest actors of this generation. For Ranbir Kapoor, this marks a long-awaited reunion with Bhansali nearly two decades after his debut in Saawariya. Alia Bhatt, fresh off the global success of Gangubai Kathiawadi, continues her creative partnership with the director. While this is Vicky Kaushal's first time working under Bhansali's direction, his previous collaborations with Ranbir in Sanju and Alia in Raazi have already shown the great chemistry this trio shares on screen. The film is described as an epic romantic war drama, a genre that Bhansali is uniquely equipped to handle. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The road to the theaters has seen its fair share of scheduling shifts. Initially planned for a Christmas 2025 release, the timeline was first moved to March 2026 and has now been officially locked for January 21, 2027. These delays are largely attributed to the meticulous pre-production and the busy individual schedules of the lead stars. However, fans might not have to wait much longer for the first official glimpse. Reports from industry sources suggest that a major asset from the movie is slated to be released on August 15. This Independence Day reveal is expected to set the tone for the marketing campaign and provide a first look at the world Bhansali is creating.

BY SACNILK

The South Indian digital space is seeing a significant development as acclaimed filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj has reportedly signed a major deal with Netflix. This project is expected to be the most expensive South Indian original production for the streaming giant to date. While the director has worked with Netflix previously on projects like Jagame Thandhiram and the anthology Navarasa this upcoming venture is being planned on a much larger scale for a 2027 release. The casting for this original has already become a talking point among fans. The project will feature Atharvaa in a lead role. Joining him is Kannada superstar Upendra who is reportedly playing a pivotal character possibly as the primary antagonist. This marks another significant move for Upendra in the pan-Indian space following his presence in other high profile films. Adding more weight to the ensemble is the legendary Prabhu Deva who is expected to play a character closely linked to the lead bringing a unique dynamic to the screen. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) This news comes at a time when Karthik Subbaraj is maintaining strong momentum with his production house Stone Bench Films. Projects like Dorothy starring Keerthy Suresh have been gaining international attention at film festivals including a world premiere at Toronto. The transition from producing grounded independent films to directing a high budget digital original for Netflix shows the versatility of the director and his ability to handle diverse scales of production. His signature filmmaking style which often blends grit with stylized visuals is expected to be a major highlight of this new project. Industry reports suggest that Netflix is positioning this project as a flagship South Indian original for 2027. By bringing together prominent talent from the Tamil and Kannada film industries the platform aims to capture a wide audience across various regions. This project also marks a reunion for the director and Prabhu Deva who previously collaborated on the silent thriller Mercury. As production planning follows high standards this collaboration is expected to set new benchmarks for digital content in the Indian market.

BY SACNILK

Arun Matheswaran's latest directorial effort, DC (Tamil), has successfully wrapped up its opening weekend with a performance that highlights the director's growing influence in the gritty action genre. Known for his raw storytelling style in films like Captain Miller and Rocky, the filmmaker has once again delivered a stylized experience that has sparked significant conversation. However, a major part of the film’s success is being attributed to Anirudh Ravichander. Critics and fans have noted that the heavy, atmospheric background score is a character in itself, with some audiences even suggesting that the music alone is a strong enough reason to witness the film on the big screen. The film began its box office journey on Friday, which was Day 1, by grossing 5.04 Cr in India. It opened across 3,504 shows with a relatively modest overall occupancy, but the numbers in core Tamil regions were impressive right from the start. Chennai saw an opening occupancy of over 66 percent, while Coimbatore started even stronger at nearly 70 percent. By the end of its first day, including an overseas contribution of 2.25 Cr, the worldwide gross stood at roughly 7.29 Cr. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Saturday, or Day 2, witnessed a healthy surge in interest as the gross collections in India jumped to 8.07 Cr. This represents a solid growth of 59.1 percent in net terms, proving that the film's dark tone and Anirudh's score were resonating with the weekend crowd. Occupancy figures saw a noticeable spike, especially in Chennai where it reached over 76 percent and Coimbatore where it hit a massive 87 percent. Overseas markets also contributed another 3 Cr, taking the worldwide gross to 18.36 Cr by the end of the second day. The momentum reached its peak on Day 3, the first Sunday. The film saw its highest single-day collection yet, grossing 11 Cr in India across an expanded count of 4,639 shows. This increase in show count, particularly in Bengaluru and Chennai, helped the overall occupancy settle at about 40 percent. In Chennai, Sunday occupancy climbed to 81.5 percent, while Trivandrum saw a strong 77 percent turnout. By the end of its first three days, the worldwide gross collection for DC (Tamil) reached 31.86 Cr. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) DC (Tamil) - India Gross Collection (Opening Weekend)DayIndia Gross CollectionDay 1 (1st Friday)₹ 5.04 CrDay 2 (1st Saturday)₹ 8.07 CrDay 11 (1st Sunday)₹ 11.00 CrTotal India Gross₹ 24.11 Cr State-wise Gross Collection Report (Opening Weekend): Tamil Nadu: ₹ 7.67 Cr AP/TG: ₹ 6.50 Cr Kerala: ₹ 4.45 Cr Karnataka: ₹ 3.59 Cr Rest of India: ₹ 1.90 Cr The digital engagement for the film has been quite strong, with BookMyShow reporting over 706,000 total tickets sold so far, out of which over 233,000 were booked in the last 24 hours alone. In national chains like PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis, the film sold over 45,000 tickets during the opening weekend. Interestingly, the highest number of tickets sold at these chains occurred on the release day, Friday, indicating a high level of anticipation from the multiplex audience. On Sunday alone, national chains recorded approximately 10,000 ticket sales, contributing around 16 lakh to the daily gross. With the weekend now behind it, the film's steady performance in major cities remains its biggest strength. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) According to Venky Box Office in the North American market, the film is finding its footing with the diaspora audience. On Saturday, DC collected 139,000 dollars, which helped push its total regional gross to 260,000 dollars. A notable highlight from this total is the 61,000 dollars contributed by the Telugu version, showing interest across linguistic lines even in overseas territories. As for Sunday, the latest hourly reports as of 7pm PST indicate a collection of 86,000 dollars across 177 locations. These figures point toward a respectable opening run in the international circuit as the first weekend comes to a close.

BY SACNILK

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently rewriting the box office rulebook as it swings through its second weekend. Ever since the first glimpses of the film were released, the hype has been sky-high, and verified reports from major trade analysts suggested this would be a historic run. Following the positive reception from the first week, the film entered its second Friday with significant momentum, proving that the web-slinger still holds an unmatched grip over the global audience. Looking at the second Friday, which marked Day 9 for the film, the gross collections in India reached 18 Cr. This performance reflects a steady 5.3 percent growth compared to the previous day, which is completely fine as the collections do stabilize during the weekdays. While the morning shows began with a relatively quiet occupancy of about 9 percent, the interest peaked significantly during the night shows, climbing to nearly 40 percent. This late-night momentum was a clear indicator of the weekend surge to come. The film maintained a strong presence across 13,544 shows on this day. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The real shift happened on Day 10, the second Saturday. We saw a phenomenal jump in interest, with gross collections reaching 37.10 Cr. This is where the weekend effect truly kicked in, as family audiences and fans flocked to the theaters. The overall occupancy for the day reached over 51 percent, more than doubling the Friday figures. Interestingly, the evening shows were the busiest, hitting a 59 percent occupancy rate across 13,482 shows. The momentum did not stop there. On Day 11, which was the second Sunday, the film collected 41.53 Cr gross. Although the growth percentage was a more modest 11.9 percent compared to the massive leap seen on Saturday, the total volume remained significantly higher. This was a historic day for the production as the film officially crossed the 400 Crore net mark in India, bringing the total India gross to 496.86 Cr. The occupancy remained solid at around 50 percent, with afternoon and evening shows being the most crowded, both hovering above 62 percent . (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Spider-Man: Brand New Day - India Gross Collection (2nd Weekend)DayIndia Gross CollectionDay 9 (2nd Friday)₹ 17.96 CrDay 10 (2nd Saturday)₹ 37.10 CrDay 11 (2nd Sunday)₹ 41.53 CrTotal 2nd Weekend₹ 96.59 Cr The film's success is spread across multiple languages, showing its universal appeal in India. The English version leads the way with a massive gross of 273.60 Cr, followed closely by the Hindi version which has contributed 178.38 Cr. In the Southern markets, the film has performed exceptionally well with the Tamil version grossing 25.75 Cr and the Telugu version adding 18.19 Cr. The Malayalam and Kannada versions have contributed 0.56 Cr and 0.38 Cr respectively, bringing the total India gross to a staggering 496.86 Cr and total net collections to 415.45 Cr. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) When we look at the performance within national chains like PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis, the numbers are impressive. For the second weekend, over 4 lakh tickets were sold across these chains. On Sunday alone, these major chains recorded a total of 1.4 lakh tickets sold for the film across 6,700 shows, contributing to a gross of approximately 6.3 Cr. PVR led the charts with a 3.7 Cr gross, followed by INOX with 1.8 Cr and Cinepolis with 0.8 Cr. The digital footprint of the film is equally impressive. On BookMyShow, the film saw massive engagement with 366,000 tickets booked on Friday, over 513,000 on Saturday, and 356,000 on Sunday. This brings the total ticket sales on the platform to a staggering 8.2 million so far. It is not just an Indian phenomenon either; According to Venky BoxOffice in North America, the film earned 57 million dollars on Saturday, taking its total in that region to 610 million dollars. Globally, the film has now amassed a massive ₹15,900 Cr gross collection, to become a certified blockbuster of 2026.

BY SACNILK

This week's episode of Monday Night Raw will take place on Monday, August 10, 2026, live from Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Monday Night Raw currently airs live on Netflix on Monday evenings from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM ET in the United States. All Confirmed and Predicted Matches for WWE Raw, August 10, 2026 Penta vs. Laredo Kid — World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (Round One) Roman Reigns is set to defend the World Heavyweight Championship on September 14 in Mexico City, and AAA General Manager Rey Mysterio has built an eight-man lucha tournament to determine who gets that shot. The bracket pulls from the best luchadores across Raw, SmackDown, and AAA, with the winner earning a title match against Reigns in Mexico City. Penta enters as arguably the tournament favorite — the reigning multi-time Intercontinental Champion and, per multiple reports, the presumptive top star of this bracket. Interestingly, analysts have pointed out the bracket appears built toward a dream final between Penta and his real-life brother Rey Fenix, who could meet in the final if both advance. Laredo Kid, meanwhile, is no pushover — he's the male half of AAA's World Mixed Tag Team Champions and gets his first real singles moment on Raw. Whoever wins moves on to face the winner of Psycho Clown vs. La Parka in the semifinals on August 24. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez vs. Sol Ruca & a Partner of Her Choosing Sol Ruca has been in the crosshairs of Judgment Day for weeks — she dropped the Women's Intercontinental Championship to Raquel Rodriguez after repeated interference from Perez and Liv Morgan, then got another receipt just last week when a competitive singles match between Ruca and Perez ended in disqualification after Ruca was on the verge of victory before the group jumped her three-on-one. With Judgment Day repeatedly stacking the numbers against her, giving Ruca the freedom to handpick her own partner is a built-in payback mechanic — she finally gets to even the odds on her terms instead of being ambushed. Expect the "mystery partner" angle to be used to tease alliances from Becky Lynch, Stephanie Vaquer, or another Judgment Day rival looking to strike. Austin Theory vs. Akira Tozawa This one grew directly out of a Bron Breakker angle two weeks ago. After Breakker dispatched Joe Hendry, Theory tried to lay in extra shots post-match, only for Alpha Academy's Akira Tozawa to run in and make the save, avenging his tag partner Otis in the process. That confrontation has been simmering since — Tozawa repeatedly getting under the skin of The Vision, and Theory (alongside Maxxine Dupri) looking to shut him down. With Bron Breakker now positioned in a bigger program against Oba Femi, this feels like a spinoff feud designed to keep Theory occupied and give Alpha Academy a measure of retribution against The Vision's antagonism. Becky Lynch Appears Live Becky Lynch made her return during the post-SummerSlam Raw, and it was anything but a quiet one. She returned to a big pop and told fans her business with the Intercontinental Championship was finished, immediately pivoting to Liv Morgan and the Women's World Championship. She called Morgan the worst women's champion of all time and vowed not to let her reach 100 days as champion without a fight. She also landed a shot aimed at Morgan's personal life involving Dominik Mysterio, which drew a big reaction from the crowd. Stephanie Vaquer Appears Live Vaquer's return was the other half of that same explosive segment — La Primera's music hit as Judgment Day tried to leave the ring, and she tore through the group taking out months of pent-up frustration on Morgan. What made it especially intriguing is that she returned in the same moment as Lynch, and the two stared each other down without coming to blows — an open-ended tease of a potential future rivalry between them, even as both seem aligned against Judgment Day for now. Commentary and analysts have flagged this dynamic as one to watch, since Vaquer returning alongside an equally hot Lynch return risks overshadowing one or the other unless WWE gives each her own distinct spotlight. How To Watch Monday Night Raw, August 10, 2026 Fans in the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico can catch the show live at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT / 5 PM PT on Monday via Netflix. Canadian viewers get the same Monday night slot at 8 PM ET, also on Netflix. Across the Atlantic, the UK and Ireland will need to stay up late, with the show airing at 1 AM BST on Tuesday, again streaming on Netflix. In Mexico, fans are treated to an evening broadcast at 6 PM CST on Monday, also on Netflix, while Brazil gets its feed at 9 PM BRT that same Monday night. For Asian audiences, India will see Raw early Tuesday morning at 5:30 AM IST, with Bangladesh following shortly after at 6:00 AM BST — both on Netflix. Singapore's broadcast lands at 8:00 AM SGT on Tuesday, while China gets the show at 8:00 AM CST on Tuesday, though it airs there via iQIYI instead of Netflix. Meanwhile, Australian viewers can tune in mid-morning on Tuesday, at 10:00 AM AEST / 11:00 AM AEDT, and Japan rounds things out with a 9:00 AM JST Tuesday slot on Abema.

BY SACNILK

The film industry is currently buzzing with anticipation as the release of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups draws near. Following the trailer launch on August 8, the reception has been nothing short of electric. Fans and critics alike are praising the vision of director Geetu Mohandas, noting that the film looks like pure Hollywood material with its slick visuals and dark, gritty atmosphere. Yash, appearing in a dual role, has sent social media into a frenzy with his unhinged look, featuring a heavy beard and a dominant screen presence that many are calling next-level lethal. The viral dialogue asking if he looks civilized has already become a staple in online conversations, further cementing the movie as a massive cultural event. Trade analysts are looking at the Hindi belt with high expectations, predicting that Toxic is eyeing a massive opening between 25 and 30 crore net. With a wide release planned across more than 4,000 screens in North India, the film is positioned to capitalize on the immense stardom Yash earned after the KGF franchise. If the content lives up to the high-octane promise shown in the trailer, experts believe the Hindi version alone could comfortably target a 100 crore net collection over its opening weekend. This would place it among the top Hindi openings for any film originating from the South, proving that the pan-India appeal of the Rocking Star remains stronger than ever. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) According to data shared by Venky Box Office, the international market is also gearing up for a record-breaking start. USA bookings have officially opened, with premieres scheduled for Tuesday, August 25. The pricing for these early shows is set at 23 dollars for XD and PLF formats, while standard screenings are priced at 20 dollars. The fact that bookings have started this early in the overseas market reflects the global demand for the film. With the premiere starting at 6 PM EST, the early reports from the US are expected to set a positive tone for the domestic release the following day. Despite the overwhelming excitement for the theatrical release, there is an interesting development regarding the non-theatrical market. News has surfaced that the digital and satellite rights for Toxic remain unsold just 15 days before the film hits theaters. Major players in the streaming and television space are reportedly refusing to meet the high valuation demanded by Yash and KVN Productions. This is a rare situation for a film of this stature and raises questions about the current state of the non-theatrical market. While the producers are holding out for a premium deal, there is a possibility of a short-sell at the last moment if an agreement is not reached soon. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The ensemble cast, featuring Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, and Huma Qureshi, has also added to the intrigue surrounding the film. Early reactions to the trailer have highlighted the menacing screen presence of the lead actors and the overall massive scale of the project.

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Hyderabad, August 9 - Director SS Rajamouli has given fans another glimpse into his much-awaited collaboration with Mahesh Babu, Varanasi. On the occasion of the superstar's birthday, the filmmaker unveiled two new stills featuring Babu as Rudhra, offering a closer look at the character from the ambitious adventure drama. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Alongside the new images, Rajamouli described Rudhra as "witty, vulnerable and fierce," giving audiences a sense of the contrasting shades that Mahesh Babu's character will bring to the film. The latest stills have further intensified curiosity around Rudhra, who was previously introduced in a much more intense avatar during the film’s grand reveal. Speaking about Rudhra, SSR recently said in an interview that, "Rudhra was born to fulfil a purpose much larger than himself. He carries a destiny he did not ask for. He is witty, he is vulnerable, and he is fierce. That is what Mahesh brought to him. Anyone can play fierce. Very few can play fierce and fragile in the same breath". (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Fierce isn’t his only shade…RUDHRA in #Varanasi. @urstrulyMahesh pic.twitter.com/j6SdSKBrEJ— rajamouli ss (@ssrajamouli) August 9, 2026 Varanasi also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran in pivotal roles. The film is being mounted as a globe-trotting adventure, with the story travelling across locations including Varanasi, Antarctica and ancient Rome. Rajamouli has also confirmed that a major portion of the film has already been completed and that it is being shot in IMAX format. The film is shaping up to be one of the biggest Indian theatrical spectacles, with Rajamouli once again combining large-scale action, mythology and adventure. Mahesh Babu’s Rudhra is expected to be at the centre of this globe-spanning narrative, with Varanasi currently scheduled for an April 7, 2027 theatrical release.