Fri Dec 27 07:38:13 UTC 2024: ## Varun Dhawan’s “Baby John” Opens Below Expectations, Faces Stiff Competition
**MUMBAI, INDIA** – Varun Dhawan’s latest action drama, “Baby John,” opened to underwhelming box office numbers despite a Christmas Day release. The film, a remake of the Tamil thriller “Theri,” raked in ₹11.25 crore (approximately $1.4 million USD) on its opening day, falling short of the predicted ₹17-20 crore range. Day two saw a significant drop, with collections plummeting to ₹4.50 crore (approximately $540,000 USD), bringing the total weekend gross to ₹15.75 crore (approximately $1.9 million USD).
Film critic Taran Adarsh attributed the disappointing opening to stiff competition from “Pushpa 2” in mass markets and “Mufasa” in urban centers. He noted that while a mid-week Christmas release typically boosts opening day numbers, “Baby John” needs strong weekend performance to achieve a respectable total. The film’s first Thursday saw only 11.09% occupancy for Hindi screenings.
Despite the less-than-stellar debut, Dhawan previously stated he performed nearly all the stunts himself for the film, highlighting its large-scale action sequences. “Baby John,” directed by Kalees and produced by Atlee, Priya Atlee, Murad Khetani, and Jyoti Deshpande, also stars Jackie Shroff, Keerthy Suresh, and Wamiqa Gabbi. This marks Dhawan’s biggest opening in five years, surpassing his 2019 film “Kalank.” The film’s future box office success hinges on its performance throughout the weekend.
First Piper 