Xmas fails to cheer up 2024 box office

Theatres are banking on Pushpa 2, and animation flick Mufasa to carry them through the festive period

- Lata Jha

In the absence of a big-star holiday film this year, theatre owners are not too enthusiastic about the Christmas weekend and expect Allu Arjun's Pushpa 2: The Rule to remain the first choice of moviegoers even in its third week. While Varun Dhawan-starrer Baby John follows a southern action movie template—popularised by hits like Jawan—and promoted aggressively, experts said it has not generated enough buzz, and the lead star does not have enough following to carry a mass-market commercial film on his shoulders. The film is likely to generate ₹10-12 crore on day one compared with past Chris