Baby John Replaced by Marco; Varun Dhawan’s Film Hits Only 4 Screens in CP Berar

Ziya Khan 3 weeks agoLast Updated: December 29, 2024

The highly anticipated film Baby John, starring Varun Dhawan, is experiencing a disappointing run at the box office. It opened on Wednesday, December 25, with collections of Rs. 11.25 crores, falling short of expectations. Hopes were high for a better performance the following day, particularly as it was a working day, but shockingly, the figures plummeted to Rs. 5.13 crores. Instead of recovering, Friday’s numbers continued to decline, indicating that the film’s weekend collections may fall below Rs. 30 crores. With no holiday advantage until Republic Day, theaters have already begun replacing the film’s shows due to poor footfalls.

A source from the exhibition sector told Bollywood Hungama, “The significant drop on Thursday made it clear to exhibitors that Baby John wouldn’t see improvements on Friday. Consequently, cinemas nationwide have reduced its screening times.” In the meantime, the Hindi version of the Malayalam film Marco is gaining traction. Many are curious about Marco, especially since some claim that Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ultra-violent film Animal (2023) appears tame in comparison due to its excessive violence. This growing demand has led to Baby John’s shows being replaced with screenings of Marco, as well as films like Pushpa 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King.

For instance, MovieMax Wonder Mall in Thane will host five Hindi shows of Marco on Sunday, December 29, while Baby John will only have three shows. In Mumbai’s popular G7 multiplex, Baby John was initially featured in the 1000-seater Gaiety and had two shows in Gossip. However, it has since been moved to Galaxy, which has 200 fewer seats than Gaiety, while Pushpa 2 has returned to Gaiety. Sources indicate that the showcasing of Baby John will be further reduced during weekdays.

The Curious Case of CP Berar

Additionally, PVR Inox Pictures, the distributors of Baby John, are facing criticism for their flawed distribution strategy. They struggled to plan the film’s showcasing in a timely manner and faced tough competition from Anil Thadani’s AA Films, the distributors of Pushpa 2. It has come to light that in many regions of India, Baby John has barely secured single-screen cinemas..