Happy New Year opts for Friday release instead of Diwali day

October 13, 2014 - 4:04 PM IST

Though it's a well-known fact that Happy New Year is all set to release on October 24, the Farah Khan directorial was initially slated to release on a Thursday, which is October 23 coinciding with the Diwali celebration but the makers decided against it.

The makers were of the opinion that releasing on October 23 could pose as a problem since people are not only busy celebrating Diwali but they will be performing the auspicious Laxmi pooja on the same day. Hence the decision was taken in order to ensure that the pooja which is often performed during the evening does not clash with the evening shows, which is the peak time for collections at the box office.

This is not the first time that a film's release has been changed owing to the Diwali celebrations. Last year, a similar dilemma was faced by the makers of the superhero blockbuster Krrish 3. The film which was slated to release on November 4 (Monday) was preponed to November 1 (Friday) in order to ensure an increase in weekend collections and also to avoid the clash with the pooja. Krrish 3 starring Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra and Kangna Ranaut not only managed to cross the 100 crore mark but went on to earn Rs. 200 plus in the Indian market.

Shah Rukh Khan too will be looking at breaking the record of Krrish 3 this Diwali with Happy New Year and releasing the film October 24 is also a calculated move in that direction.

Produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, Happy New Year stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani and Vivaan Shah among others.