Will Aamir Khan's 'PK' beat SRK's 'Happy New Year', just like Dhoom 3 toppled Chennai Express last year?

History does tend to repeat itself. It remains to be seen whether the box-office drama that took place last year will play out in the exact same manner this year too. Here's what happened: Shah Rukh Khan's Eid-release Chennai Express opened to a thundering Rs 33 crores on August 9, 2013, it was the top grossing movie that year. It held spot four months. Then Aamir Khan's ambitious project Dhoom 3 hit the marquee. It smashed all previous records and earned an astounding Rs 36 crores when it released on December 20, 2013.Back to the futureThis year SRK's Happy New Year, a Diwali release, earned an astounding Rs 45 crores on the first day. Like last year, Aamir's PK releases on a non-festive weekend (December 19). However, it will get the benefit from Christmas, which will be a few days away. Then there's the New Year weekend, which doesn't have any major releases either. This ensures the movie an uninterrupted run at the box office. The next big release will be Arjun Kapoor-Sonakshi Sinha starrer Tevar, which releases on January 9, 2015. Both Chennai Expresss and Happy New Year were released around festive weekend. The only difference was Chennai Express was a Eid release, which is usually Salman Khan's territory, while SRK is usually known to release his movies during Diwali. This year Salman starrer Kick was the Eid release, while SRK has moved back into his comfort zone – the Diwali weekend.Luck FactorThe pre-Christmas and Christmas weekend have proved to be extremely lucky for Aamir Khan. His directorial debut Taare Zameen par released on December 21, 2007, while the blockbuster Ghajini was released on December December 25, 2008. His next release 3 Idiots, which hit the theatres on December 25, 2009, went to create box office history. His next movie Talaash, which was nowhere near any of his previous blockbusters was released on November 30, 2012. But Lady Luck smiled again 2013, when he returned with Dhoom 3 as the X-mas offering. Whether or not Aamir believes in the luck factor, the record sure indicates that the Christmas has time and again been a good time for the actor at the box office.Trade talkWith the first day collection becoming a big deal, it remains to be seen whether PK can overtake HNY's collections. The trade guys seem pretty sure that it will definitely be able to do so. Vikas Mohan, editor of the trade magazine Super Cinema, says, "Without a doubt, the movie will definitely get a bigger initial than Happy New Year. While HNY released on the Diwali weekend, PK is releasing before Christmas so it will also benefit from that holiday. Also it is an Aamir Khan movie, so content-wise it will be much stronger. It's the Rajkumar Hirani-Aamir Khan combination again, they are sensible makers, so people are bound to want to watch the movie." Also, trade pundits point out that though HNY began on a great note, the figures have fallen down post the Diwali weekend. And while that may be normal, the movie is likely to struggle to get into the coveted Rs 300 crore club.