As per the numbers quoted by Indian movie trade outlets, Varun Dhawan starrer ‘Baby John’, which opened at INR11.25 crores – a rather shocking opening day figure for a holiday release – dipped further to INR5.13 crores on day 2, with a struggle to cross even INR20 crores by the end of day 3, which happened to be the first theatrical Friday for the title.
Amid this disappointing run, and with no major releases scheduled until mid of January 2025, theatres have decided to replace the multiple shows of ‘Baby John with the Hindi version of Haneef Adeni’s Malayalam-language action thriller ‘Marco’, starring Unni Mukundan, to reap in maximum benefits of the holiday season.
Speaking to a local publication in the country, a source close to the exhibitor said, “On Thursday, the film (Baby John) suffered a huge drop which made it clear for the exhibitors that it won’t even grow on Friday. As a result, cinemas across the country have reduced their showcasing.”
“Meanwhile, the Hindi version of the Malayalam film Marco is gradually gaining traction. There’s a curiosity to see it as many are claiming that Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ultra-violent film Animal (2023), looks like a kiddie movie, in front of Marco because of its excessive violent scenes. Hence, there’s a demand for it and Baby John’s shows are being replaced with that of Marco and also films like Pushpa 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King,” disclosed the insider.
Wamiqa Gabbi shares hilarious pictures with all ‘Baby Johns’
According to the details, a Mumbai-based cinema hall will play five shows ‘Marco (Hindi)‘ on Sunday, while Dhwan’s film will have only 3 shows. Another multiplex, which was showing ‘Baby John’ in a 1000-seater, has now shifted the film to the hall with a capacity of 200, and replaced it with Allu Arjun’s ‘Pushpa 2’.
Notably, Varun Dhawan-led ‘Baby John’, co-starring Keerthy Suresh, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Jackie Shroff, is written and directed by Kalees. After being delayed from the original release slate of May, the action thriller, backed by Tamil filmmaker Atlee, arrived in theatres earlier this week, on the occasion of Christmas Day.
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