Pushpa 2 The Rule to be removed from PVR-INOX in North India? Clash with Baby John may derail Allu Arjun-starrer
Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule continues to be a juggernaut at the box office. Even in its third week at the box office, the film shows no signs of slowing down, particularly in the north.
Where the Hindi dub is rewriting record books. Amid this, the film’s North India distributors – AA Films – have demanded that the shows of Pushpa 2 should not be reduced as Varun Dhawan’s Baby John releases next week. This demand, followed by an ultimatum of withdrawing the film, has put doubts about the film’s box office future.
Pushpa 2 The Rule vs Baby John at the box office
Earlier this week, Bollywood Hungama reported that Anil Thadani of AA Films asked exhibitors in North India to give him in writing that they will not reduce their showcasing of Pushpa 2 from Wednesday, December 25, to accommodate Baby John. “Anil Thadani asked all exhibitors to give in writing that this condition has to be met. If they don’t do so, the RO, that is the release order, to play Pushpa 2 – The Rule for the weekend, will not be given. If the RO doesn’t come through, theatres will not be able to play Pushpa 2 – The Rule over this weekend,” the report quoted a source as saying.
This led to reports that PVR-INOX will remove Pushpa 2 from its theatres in the north starting Wednesday as the release order may not come through.
As this cast clouds over Pushpa 2’s future in North India, the two parties again met on Friday night in a meeting that went on till midnight. Following this, it was decided to pause the issue and attempt to resolve it later. PVR-INOX has reopened advance bookings for Pushpa 2 after the meeting. However, the bookings are open only till December 22. It is unclear if the film will still play in the theatre chain post that, particularly after December 25, when Baby John will release.
About Pushpa 2 and Baby John
Pushpa 2: The Rule, directed by Sukumar, stars Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, and Fahadh Faasil. In the first 16 days of its release, the Hindi version has already become the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, beating Stree 2 and Jawan. The Hindi dub earned ₹11 crore on Friday, accounting for almost 80% of the total earnings. This means that the Hindi market is vital for the film, as is the film for exhibitors in the north.
Baby John, on the other hand, is directed by Kalees and produced by Atlee. An adaptation of Theri, the film stars Varun Dhawan, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Keerthy Suresh. The action drama is set to release on December 25 for Christmas. Given its mass action genre, it is expected to be a money churner in the festive season.