Baby John box office collection Day 1: Varun Dhawan’s Christmas release marred by Pushpa 2’s dominance, Mufasa’s success

Despite getting the push of a Christmas holiday release, Varun Dhawan’s Baby John only had a decent opening-day collection at the box office. The Kalees directorial's performance was mostly hit by the continued dominance of Allu Arjun's Pushpa 2 and the clash with Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King.

The Hindi adaptation of Atlee's 2016 Tamil blockbuster starring Vijay, Theri, Baby John earned ₹12.50 crore on release day, according to data from industry tracker Sacnilk.

The Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh, and Wamiqa Gabbi starrer was also challenged at the box office by a surprise blockbuster – Kiccha Sudeep's Kannada action thriller ‘Max’. According to Sacnilk's early estimates, Max grossed an estimated ₹10 crore on its first day and is expected to have a fantastic extended opening weekend.

Varun Dhawan's best-ever opening

The film has received mixed reviews. While Varun Dhawan's performance as an action hero has been praised, some critics feel that the remake lacks the emotional impact of the original Tamil version.

Despite this, Baby John's release-day earnings gave Varun Dhawan his “best-ever opening” at the box office in the last five years. His Bhediya had earned ₹7.48 on its first day, while Jugjugg Jeeyo ₹9.28 crore on its opening day.

Baby John: Box Office Occupancy Day 1

The movie witnessed an overall 24.97 per cent Hindi occupancy on Wednesday and collected most during evening shows (30.89 per cent). Chennai, Bengaluru and Lucknow received the maximum footfall.

Baby John: Plot

Baby John follows DCP Satya Verma (Varun Dhawan), who assumes the alias “Baby John” to protect his daughter, Khushi, after a deadly clash with politician Babbar Sher results in the death of his wife and mother.

Relocating to Kerala as a baker, Satya's past catches up when Khushi is threatened. With help from Khushi's teacher, Tara (Wamiqa Gabbi), revealed as undercover officer Adhira Verma, Satya takes down Babbar's empire to secure his daughter's safety.

Baby John: Budget

According to media reports, Baby John, was produced with an estimated budget of ₹180 crore (approximately $22 million). Despite this substantial investment, the film's opening day box office collection indicates a challenging start in recouping its production costs.