This Christmas was a mixed bag for Bollywood, with Varun Dhawan’s much-anticipated Baby John opening to modest numbers. According to tracking website Sacnilk, the film earned an estimated Rs 12.5 crore in India on its first day. Despite the holiday boost, Baby John struggled to outshine Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule, which brought in Rs 19.75 crore on its 21st day in theatres. The sustained dominance of Pushpa 2 and the success of Mufasa heavily impacted Baby John’s performance.
Featuring Varun Dhawan in an action-packed role, Baby John was initially projected to earn Rs 13 crore on its opening day but fell short of expectations, coupled with mixed reviews. On its release day, Baby John, which also stars Keerthy Suresh, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Jackie Shroff, recorded a total Hindi occupancy of 24.97 per cent with evening shows seeing a higher occupancy rate of 30.89 per cent.
Despite receiving unfavourable reviews, Baby John recorded Varun Dhawan’s best-ever opening at the box office in the last five years. In comparison, Bhediya earned Rs 7.48 crore on its first day, while Jugjugg Jeeyo collected Rs 9.28 crore on its opening day.
The competition intensified with the Christmas screenings of Pushpa 2, Mufasa, and the Kannada action thriller Max starring Kichcha Sudeep. However, Max turned out to be a surprise blockbuster, achieving a record-breaking Rs 10 crore opening for a Kannada film in 2024. With strong word-of-mouth, Max is set for a robust extended weekend.
Meanwhile, Baby John marks Varun Dhawan’s return to cinemas after his digital venture Citadel: Honey Bunny, which premiered in October. Despite the stiff competition, the coming days will be crucial for the film to prove its box office mettle.
India Today’s review of the film reads, “Where the film fails is in its attempt to cater to the mass genre with its heroism and masala. The makers do touch upon poignant issues like women’s safety, but everything feels superficial and choreographed. Even with high-speed shots, the scenes don’t evoke the emotional impact they should. And that’s probably why you never truly feel invested in the narrative.”
Baby John has been directed by Kalees, co-produced by Atlee and Priya Atlee, and is the Hindi adaptation of the Tamil blockbuster, Theri, starring Vijay in the lead role.
