As Rajinikanth’s next film Kaala arrives in April, the release date of his other film 2.0 has been pushed ahead.

And this development hangs like the Sword of Damocles over two films — Akshay Kumar’s next release Gold, and Aamir Khan’s Thugs of Hindostan.

The Rajinikanth-starrer 2.0, also starring Akshay Kumar, is either looking to release on Independence Day or during Diwali, to encash on the long celebrations.

With Akshay’s Pad Man struggling to touch the `100 crore mark, despite heavy promotions, the actor would need a good weekend for his film Gold. But if the film’s VFX is delayed further, it will release during Diwali and will have to face Thugs of Hindostan, staring Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir.

This may be quite a huge task for the Gold team, considering Aamir’s increasing star status in China and the rest of the world.

Trade analyst Atul Mohan says, “It will make a difference to Thugs of Hindostan if 2.0 releases opposite it. Aamir’s films will collect good money because he is a global star now. 2.0 has huge anticipation attached to it and there are names like Shankar, Rajini and Akshay as well associated with it. Also, the audiences that wants to see Akshay will get divided between 2.0 and Gold if it releases on the same date. With Pad Man also having collected around `65 crore plus after 10 days in the cinema halls, there is a lot of pressure on Akshay Kumar and Gold. It will make better sense if Gold shifts its dates.”

— Sanskriti Media