The film directed by Kalees, Baby John, has started its box office collection with good figures despite having received mixed reviews. The Salman Khan cameo starrer, this action thriller, has brought in an estimated ₹13-14 crores in opening-day collection, a figure that places it securely on the third position of Varun Dhawan’s highest openers, behind Kalank (₹21.60 crores) and Judwaa 2 (₹16.10 crores).
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The opening performance of the film was largely driven by the Christmas holiday, which boosted footfalls across theaters. However, it had to contend with stiff competition from Pushpa 2, which is still dominating the screens despite being in its third week. This fierce competition from Allu Arjun’s film meant that Baby John had to settle for second place in terms of audience choice for the day.
Here’s a glance at the Top 5 Opening Day Collections for Varun Dhawan:
1. Kalank – ₹21.60 crores
2. Judwaa 2 – ₹16.10 crores
3. Baby John – ₹13-14 crores (estimates)
4. ABCD 2 – ₹14.30 crores
5. Badrinath Ki Dulhania – ₹12.25 crores
Interestingly, Baby John has pushed Dishoom (₹11.85 crores) out of the top 5 list, marking a notable achievement for the film.
Also Read: Leaked: Salman Khan’s shocking cameo in Baby John will blow your mind
Competition from Pushpa 2
Pushpa 2 is yet to leave the box office as it continues to dominate especially in the Hindi market. The movie recently became the highest grossing film in the Hindi belt in India, and its massive success shows no signs of slowing down. While Baby John managed a decent start, its screen count of around 2500-3000 could have been larger if Pushpa 2 wasn’t still drawing large crowds. This fight is going to be very tight between these two films, and whether Baby John can maintain some momentum in the coming days or whether Pushpa 2 can continue to rule over this film will decide everything.
What’s Next?
While Baby John has promised to deliver it all with a very strong opening; however, the real deal may depend on word-of-mouth and whether it will sustain its grip of interest in the minds of the audience with dominance by Pushpa 2. Heading into this weekend, it would be interesting whether the action thriller could continue sustaining or if Pushpa 2 was an undisputed ruler of box office collections.