The initial of Baby John has disappointed one and all. In spite of the odd-day release today (December 25) to take advantage of the Christmas holiday, the opening of the Varun Dhawan starrer has been way below the mark. Of course, had the film opened on a normal day, collections would’ve been worse, but even a festive holiday like Christmas did not give the film the boost one would’ve imagined.
Frankly, the Christmas holiday seems to be benefitting Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (Hindi dubbed) far more than it is helping Baby John. And this even though the Pushpa sequel is running in its third week. Going by the trends, the 21st day of Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (Hindi dubbed) might close at Rs. 20 crore whereas the first day of Baby John may not even see a double-digit figure!
Some of the box-office figures which are out are so telling that it would be in order to mention them here. In the Rajhans group of cinemas, the net collection of Baby John till 1.30 p.m. today is Rs. 2,85,877 whereas the comparative figure for Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (Hindi dubbed) is Rs. 5,67,357. At IP Vijaya, Varanasi, Baby John had 44 persons in the 11.15 a.m. show today while Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (Hindi dubbed) had 190 persons in the 11.15 a.m. show. At PDR, Varanasi, the number of persons for Baby John at 1.20 p.m. was 36 whereas the number of persons for Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (Hindi dubbed) at 12.30 p.m. was 160. The collections of the two films in the noon shows at Delite and Diamond twin cinemas Delhi were: Baby John Delite Rs. 43,110; Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (Hindi dubbed) Diamond Rs. 11,885. In the matinee show, collections at the same twin cinemas were: Baby John Diamond Rs. 18,342; Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (Hindi dubbed) Delite Rs. 1,07,419. In the MovieMax chain, while Baby John netted Rs. 16,73,000 on the first day till 6 p.m., the corresponding figure for Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (Hindi dubbed) is more than double at Rs. 37,38,000.
In other words, the 21st day of Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 (Hindi dubbed) will be bigger, better and stronger than the first day of Baby John. Considering that they are both big-budget commercial films, this may be a first!