Trade pundits say Golmaal Returns and Fashion struck lucky because there have been no big Diwali releases

Diwali has always traditionally been the much coveted time for a big release. History has been witness to the clash of titans during Diwali period.

Who can forget last years mother of all clashes, Om Shanti Om and Saawariya? The year before that it was Shah Rukhs Don combating with Sajid Nadiadwalas magnum opus Jaan-e-mann. SRK won again.

In fact, SRK release has always been a great pull for most Diwalis. This year however, the Yashraj banner decided to release their animation film, Roadside Romeo, instead of SRKs Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, slated for a Christmas release.

While some argue that its a new ploy with distributors as they do not want big films clashing with each other during Diwali, trade analyst Amod Mehra says thats not true.

"Diwali remains the biggest period for films and thats when films are expected to do better business. I would like to think that if Golmaal Returns and Fashion were released at any other point of time, they wouldnt have made as much business as they did because they were released on Diwali." Amod says he didnt understand why Yashraj released their animation film, Roadside Romeo instead of Rab ne bana di jodi just before Diwali. "Roadside Romeo could even be released during Christmas," he says.

While Rohit Shettys Golmaal Returns is said to have got an opening of around 95 per cent, Fashion managed to get a good opening of 85 per cent. Distributor Rajesh Thadani echoes Amods statement.

He says, "It is a mystery why big films did not aim to release for Diwali this year. Golmaal opened fantastically and Fashion is doing good business too. It is surprising considering they have not really got rave reviews. I dont think they would have done as well as they have, if it was not for Diwali," he says.

However, Rishi Negi, COO of Fame Cinemas says the two movies are big in their own way and would have done well otherwise too. He says, "The original Golmaal was a huge hit, so the sequel was looked forward to.

As for Fashion, since it comes from Madhur Bhandarkar there was anticipation. Gone are the days when people just expected huge stars for films. Now content is the king.