But the film's early response has already put that gamble under serious pressure.

Over the last few years, Dil Raju has been associated with films such as Shaakuntalam, The Family Star, Game Changer and Thammudu. All four received disastrous responses from audiences and critics and were mostly washouts at the box office. Now, Toxic has also opened to unanimously negative reactions from fans and audiences.

Reports suggest that Dil Raju paid around Rs. 80 crores as an advance for Toxic's AP and Telangana rights. The total deal is reportedly worth around Rs. 100-120 crore. He took the risk because KVN had reportedly assured him that he would get the rights to Chiranjeevi's Kaaka at a reasonable price if Toxic failed.

Overall, Toxic reportedly needs a minimum of around Rs. 90-100 crores share, even by conservative standards in the Telugu states, to reach breakeven.

That is where the current trend becomes worrying. The morning and noon shows opened to full houses, but the audience response has been extremely negative. Evening and night shows could see a drop in several areas because of the poor word of mouth.

From tomorrow, the real test begins.

Dil Raju has made a high-risk bet on Yash's film in the Telugu market. The next few days will be crucial. If the talk improves and the film manages to hold reasonably well through the weekend, there is still a chance of recovering some of the investment.

But Dil Raju's time has not been particularly good in recent years. Sankranthiki Vasthunam remains his only BIG profitable venture during this period. Now, Toxic has added another big risk to his plate.

Where this gamble finally lands will be clear only after Toxic completes its theatrical run.