It is going to be crowded year-end at the box office.

For starters, there’s Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg 3. Apparently, producer Arbaaz Khan and director Prabhudeva have already locked the script for the third instalment of the successful Dabangg franchise. The plan is to shoot the film this year in a start-to-finish schedule and hit screens by the end of 2018.

However, this is at the same time that Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero will also hit screens! The Aanand L Rai directorial will release in theatres the week before Christmas. What’s more, Salman has made it very clear that he will not sanction the release of Dabangg 3 on the same date at Zero. Call it loyalty to his friend and co-actor, Shah Rukh, or just plain business sense, but the star is determined not to clash with Zero. Even though this means missing out on the Christmas weekend, he has made it clear to team Dabangg that there can be no collision with the SRK-starrer.

RECOMMENDED READ: ‘DABANGG 3’ SHOOT WILL START BY MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR: ARBAAZ KHAN

Buzz goes that Arbaaz will now look at the weekend following Christmas to release Dabangg 3. However, this means his film which comes a week later, will most likely clash with Karan Johar-Rohit Shetty’s Simmba on December 28!

This is not the ideal situation for either film, as both also see their leading men playing cops! Ranveer plays corrupt policeman Sangram Bhalerao a.k.a. Simmba, who appears to be patterned on the lines of Salman’s Chulbul Pandey of Dabangg. Salman, of course, will reprise his popular role as the Robinhood-like character. Two Chulbul Pandey is more than the box office would be able to handle!

While dates are yet to be confirmed at this point, a clash is something both films would dearly wish to avoid. Meanwhile, all Arbaaz will say is that he will comment when he is sure of starting the film. “Currently, I’m concentrating on the script. I’ll have a clear idea by the end of April.”