Baby John: Will Salman Khan’s cameo help save Varun Dhawan film amid Pushpa 2 frenzy? [Exclusive]

Varun Dhawan's big action outing Baby John releases in cinemas on Christmas, December 25, 2024. It's at a time when Allu Arjun's Pushpa 2 The Rule is still playing to packed houses in theatres.

Baby John is all set to release on the big screen on Christmas. The film starring Varun Dhawan, Wamiqa Gabbi, Keerthy Suresh is being promoted as Bollywood’s big Christ’mass’ film. However, it has another Pan-India massy film already playing in the theatres to packed houses even in its fourth week. Varun Dhawan’s big action entertainer must battle the frenzy created by Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna’s Pushpa 2 The Rule. However, Baby John has some big names attached to it. Atlee, who gave us Jawan last year with Shah Rukh Khan, is presenting the movie and it is directed by his long time AD Kalees. The film is produced by Murad Khetani.

When the trio met the media at a press conference in Mumbai a week before the film’s release, they seemed confident that their film would bring in the footfalls and big box office collection. Trade, however, has been sceptical. The day 1 collection is predicted to go up to Rs 15 crore nett, provided that the reviews and word of mouth from initial shows is good. Trade expert Sumit Kadel is of the opinion that Baby John will open to 11-13 crore nett. He further predicts the weekend estimate, “Over a 5-day period, Baby John can score Rs 45.55 crore nett, depending on audience feedback.”

However, there is hope that Salman Khan’s cameo may positively impact the footfalls. A trade insider exclusively tells us, “Salman Khan has a huge fan following and they are loyal towards their star. Ek jhalak bhi kaafi hai. If 10 percent of his fans also decide to watch the film due to his cameo, even that will be a huge boost to the box office numbers.”

Baby John tells the story of a daredevil supercop, up against some of the ugliest evils that plague our society.