Pushpa 2 will continue box office rule, Baby John to open at Rs 10 crore: Trade experts

Pushpa 2: The Rule will continue to dominate the box office, overshadowing new releases like Baby John, which would still manage a promising start despite the competition, as per trade experts Ramesh Bala and Taran Adarsh.

In Short

• Pushpa 2 remains the top choice for audiences, collecting Rs 20 crore even in its third week
• Baby John, despite facing screen constraints, is expected to earn Rs 10–15 crore on its opening day
• Trade experts analysed what the opening day collection of Baby John would look like

The dominance of Pushpa 2: The Rule at the box office shows no signs of slowing down, even three weeks after its release. The Allu Arjun-starrer, which has already broken several records since its debut, collected a solid Rs 20 crore today, further cementing its blockbuster status. Meanwhile, Baby John, a fresh release, is expected to earn between Rs 10–13 crore on its opening day, marking a decent start.

Although overshadowed by Pushpa 2's ongoing success, Baby John is managing to carve its own niche. The film, with a gripping narrative and a talented cast, is expected to open with Rs 10 crore business on its first day. This is a promising start for a film released in the shadow of a mammoth like Pushpa 2.

Industry experts believe Baby John's performance could see growth over the weekend if it garners positive word-of-mouth. Speaking exclusively to India Today Digital, trade expert Ramesh Bala said, "The feedback seems positive overall, though there is a group of audience pointing out some negatives. The general sentiment is that it’s a mass entertainer—a true crowd-pleaser."

Trade expert Taran Adarsh added, "It's a masala entertainer, completely targeted at the masses. It's one of those films that takes you back to the days when masala cinema was thriving. Of course, this is an official adaptation of a Tamil film called Theri, which was released in 2016. However, there isn’t much novelty in the story."

He continued, "The strength of the film lies in its packaging, which caters to the masses and is its biggest highlight. That said, the film takes time to build up. The first half isn’t as convincing, but there’s an incident just before the interval that changes the tempo. The interval block is excellent, and the second half is better overall. However, the film’s length could have been trimmed. Having said that, I believe it’s aimed squarely at the masses who love action entertainers. This is one of those films where you need to sit back and enjoy the ride instead of overanalysing."

Talking about the collections, Ramesh stated, "Baby John is in the average to above-average range. Advance booking was decent. Mufasa led yesterday, followed by Baby John, and then Pushpa 2. In terms of current bookings today, I need to verify how things are progressing. Multiplexes are still giving Pushpa 2 considerable space. Baby John is facing some screen constraints because of this. That being said, multiplexes generally have enough screens to balance allocations."

"Mufasa, Baby John, and Pushpa are all vying for screen space, but there’s limited capacity due to other regional releases—Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil films releasing this Friday. Outside the South, these three films are dominating, and the screenings are running at full capacity. Smaller films are finding it tough to secure screens for solo releases. However, with the holiday season continuing through New Year, things should balance out," the trade expert added.

Taran Adarsh opined, "The film is facing tough competition from Pushpa 2, which is still running successfully. Although Pushpa 2 has seen a reduction in screens, it remains the first choice for audiences in metro cities and multiplexes. Then it's Mufasa and Baby John is third in preference, especially in bigger centers. The advance booking numbers weren’t great, which has impacted its initial momentum."

So, what would the collection be? "It’s a bit early to say. Right now, we still have the evening and night shows to account for. Based on current trends, Baby John should ideally collect Rs 13–14 crore on its first day. It might reach Rs 15 crore , but we’ll have to see how spot bookings perform. Meanwhile, Pushpa in Hindi is expected to collect over Rs 20 crore, even in its third week, which is phenomenal," Taran quipped.

When asked if Pushpa 2 would continue its dominance, Ramesh Bala said, "For a film that was released three weeks ago, Pushpa is holding up remarkably well. It’s about comparing its performance with newer releases like Mufasa and Baby John. Speaking of the collection, Pushpa 2 has minted Rs 20 crore today, whereas Baby John will manage to collect around Rs 10 crore on day one. Its five-day collection will be around Rs 50 crore."

"A mighty opponent like Pushpa 2, which refuses to slow down, does dent the performance of a new release. However, the good part is that this is a long weekend due to Christmas and the New Year holiday period. From Wednesday (today) through Sunday, there’s ample opportunity for audiences to catch Baby John. Additionally, the first week of January doesn’t have any major releases, so it’s a clear run for the film to perform well," said Taran Adarsh.

Baby John, directed by Kalees, released on December 25. The film stars Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh, and Wamiqa Gabbi in pivotal roles.