Baby John box office collection day 9: Varun Dhawan-starrer earns Rs 36.40 crore, 60 percent reduction in screens as film struggles

Reduced Shows and Removal from Theaters

The poor box office performance of Baby John has led to a significant reduction in the number of shows and a drastic drop in occupancy rates. Due to low business and less demand, the film has been removed from many single-screen theaters, and the number of shows has been substantially reduced all over India.

A comparison of the film’s performance on day 1 and day 9 reveals a stark decline. On its opening day, Baby John had 801 shows in Mumbai with an occupancy rate of 26.25%. In Delhi and NCR, there were 1046 shows with an occupancy rate of 25.75%. However, by day 9, the number of shows in Mumbai had plummeted to 278, with a significantly lower occupancy rate of 12.33%. Similarly, in Delhi and NCR, the number of shows decreased to 398, with an occupancy rate of just 9.67%.

This drastic reduction in screen count and occupancy rates is a clear indication of the film’s poor performance at the box office, highlighting the declining interest of audiences in the movie.

Baby John vs Lion King vs Pushpa 2

On the other hand, Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2 continues to dominate the box office, with its worldwide collection set to cross Rs 1800 crore soon, making it the highest-grossing Indian movie. Meanwhile, Mufasa: The Lion King has been doing better business than Baby John, with a total collection of Rs 122.1 crore so far.

Baby John’s plot and cast

Baby John follows the story of DCP Satya Verma IPS, played by Varun Dhawan, who kills the son of Babbar Sher, played by Jackie Shroff, for a serious crime, leading to a power struggle between the two. The film takes a dramatic turn when Satya’s family is destroyed, and he is forced to pretend to be dead to protect his daughter. The film also stars Keerthy Suresh and Wamiqa Gabbi.

Reviews and Reception

The film has received mixed reviews from critics, with many panning its clichéd plot and lack of substance. The Indian Express’ Shubhra Gupta gave it a one star rating and called it “one of the worst films if 2024.” In her review, she wrote, “The trouble with this Atlee production, a remake of Vijay’s 2016 hit Theri, with which Varun Dhawan gets his big fat South masala film, is that very little sticks.”

Baby John on streaming platforms

Despite its poor performance at the box office, Baby John will be available for streaming on Prime Video in 2025, following its theatrical release. The film is produced by Jio Studios, Cine1 Studios, and A for Apple Productions, and features music composed by Thaman S, cinematography by Kiran Koushik, and editing by Ruben. The pan-India film is presented by Jawan director Atlee and directed by Kalees.