Baby John day 1 box office: Varun Dhawan's biggest opening with Rs 11.25 crore isn't big enough for a Christmas release, report

Varun Dhawan in Baby John

At Rs 11.25 crore, Baby John is being touted as Varun Dhawan's biggest opener in the past five years. But the Christmas release's performance has left trade analysts unimpressed, with them believing that a festival offering warrants higher footfall. "The Day-One numbers should have been in the range of R15 to 20 crore; instead, they are apparently in the range of Rs 10-12 crore. Reviews and word of mouth are not strong. It might be a big opening for Varun, but for a Christmas release, it's not good. A superstar is needed for Christmas," says trade expert Girish Wankhede.

Kalees' directorial venture, also starring Keerthy Suresh and Wamiqa Gabbi, is a remake of the Tamil hit, Theri (2016). The average numbers have highlighted another aspect - the diminishing appeal of remakes. While some adaptations like Drishyam 2 (2022) have defied the odds, recent attempts such as Shehzada (2023) have faltered. Wankhede explains, "The success formula for remakes is becoming obsolete. Viewers have evolved, and they demand fresh narratives or significant reinventions."

Interestingly, Pushpa 2: The Rule, which now enters its fourth week, is earning better than Baby John. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared on his social media handle that Allu Arjun's actioner "remains the top choice for moviegoers, even with a sharp reduction in shows to accommodate Baby John". Dhawan's film has a limited window to make its mark before Ram Charan's Game Changer releases on January 10. Wankhede adds, "Even though there is a clean window, this film will not do as well. If you see previous strong Christmas releases, it has always been either a Shah Rukh Khan or an Aamir Khan [offering]. You need a big package to get
audiences to cinemas."