Advance booking for Varun Dhawan’s upcoming action entertainer Baby John commenced on Sunday with a collection of over Rs 50 lakh in pre-sales for December 25 shows, according to a report by industry data-tracking portal Sacnilk.

Baby John has already sold 16,365 tickets for 3,490 shows, grossing Rs 51.55 lakh for Day 1, Sacnilk said in its report.

Among the states, Maharashtra witnessed the highest advance sales, amassing Rs 24.87 lakh. Delhi contributed Rs 19.27 lakh, followed by Gujarat (Rs 9.26 lakh), Telangana (Rs 7.75 lakh) and West Bengal (Rs 4.24 lakh).

Directed by Kalees and written by Atlee, Kalees, and Sumit Arora, Baby John is an adaptation of the 2016 Tamil-language blockbuster Theri, originally helmed by Atlee.

Produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Murad Khetani, Atlee, and Priya Atlee, the film is being released under the banners of Jio Studios, Cine1 Studios, Vipin Agnihotri Films, and A for Apple Productions. Baby John boasts an ensemble cast featuring Varun Dhawan in the titular role, alongside Keerthy Suresh, Wamiqa Gabbi, Zara Zyanna, and Jackie Shroff.

Baby John features Varun Dhawan in two avatars — a no-nonsense cop and a vigilante. The trailer shows a heartwarming relationship between Varun Dhawan’s character and his daughter, who playfully calls him a “baby”. A key highlight of the trailer is Jackie Shroff’s entrance as the antagonist.