The Indian Cinema Box Office Report: 'Baby John' Begins Its Run Sluggishly
The Indian Cinema Box Office Report: 'Baby John' Begins Its Run Sluggishly
Title: Baby John Struggles at the Box Office
The Hindi movie Baby John debuted in cinemas on Christmas, December 25th, and received a disappointing global launch with a $2 million income on its first day. Led by popular Indian actor Varun Dhawan, the film only earned $1.5 million in India on Wednesday. Kalees directed Baby John.
Baby John: Box Office Performance
In just three days, Baby John had a worldwide total of $3.2 million. By the end of Friday, the film had accumulated $2.4 million in India. The audience's feedback for the movie has been positively received, but it will have to compete against other films like Mufasa The Lion King and Pushpa 2 The Rule through the weekend.
Baby John: Box Office Challenges
Despite Baby John being released on a holiday, the film opened to a dull nett score of $1.5 million and a total gross collection of $1.7 million in India. Globally, the film recorded a day one score of $2 million.
On its second day, the box office saw only $1.9 million in India and $2.7 million globally. By the third day, the film had made a total of $3.2 million worldwide.
Baby John: Box Office Rivalry
Actor Allu Arjun has faced controversy, even being jailed, since the release of Pushpa 2: The Rule. However, this has not affected the film's performance at the box office. The film has surpassed the $200 million mark worldwide and continues to occupy prominent screens across India.
Competing with Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King, which has gained popularity in India, and a new Kannada thriller, Max, directed by Vijay Karthikeyaa, has also been tough for Baby John. Headed by Kiccha Sudeep, Max grossed more than $1.2 million on its initial day and went on to surpass $2 million in three days at the worldwide box office.
Baby John: Review
Directed by Atlee in the 2016 Tamil film Theri, Baby John is an adaptation of the Tamil blockbuster. The film features Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Amy Jackson, Nainika, and Radhika Sarathkumar in essential roles, with a total worldwide opening of nearly $5 million.
While the film stars Jackie Shroff, Rajpal Yadav, Wamiqa Gabbi, Keerthy Suresh, and Sheeba Chadhdha in key roles, it is not directed by Atlee. Instead, Atlee presented the Hindi adaptation and co-wrote it with Sumit Arora and director Kalees. The film revolves around a former cop forced to reenter violence for the sake of his child. Dhawan plays the cop, while Shroff portrays the main villain.
Representing traditional Indian mass entertainment, Baby John includes action sequences where villains are beaten, often intimidating background music, and inserted songs to provide a song-and-dance routine. Dhawan's introduction scene and background score resemble those typically reserved for top south-Indian movie stars.
Although Dhawan's attempts to portray mass cinema are mostly successful, he falls short of captivating the audience only with his presence, as seen in Sriram Ramghavan’s Badlapur or Shoojit Sircar’s October. His age does not perfectly match the character he portrays in Baby John.
Shroff impresses in his role as the villain, exuding a grotesque and frightening presence onscreen. Rajpal Yadav delivers humorous moments, making his performance stand out. However, the women in the story do not have fully developed characters, and the narrative centers around fighting against a human trafficking ring.
Despite the positive audience feedback, the box office performance of 'Baby John' has been lackluster, competing with films like 'Mufasa: The Lion King' and 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'. Kiccha Sudeep's Kannada thriller 'Max' even surpassed 'Baby John' in its box office earnings. Interestingly, 'Baby John' is a remake of the Tamil blockbuster 'Theri', directed by Atlee, and features popular actors like Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Amy Jackson. Varun Dhawan, who leads the film, delivers a commendable performance, but the film failed to match the success of its original Tamil version.