Brad Pitt's film release postponed to make way for Shah Rukh Khan

An upcoming release starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf (originally slated to hit theatres on October 17), has been postponed to October 31, keeping in mind SRK's, Happy New Year which releases on October 24.

Brad Pitt’s presence is usually enough to attract moviegoers, but the prospect of a run-in of sorts with Shah Rukh Khan has deterred the distributors of the Hollywood actor’s latest film Fury.

An upcoming release that stars Pitt and Shia LaBeouf was originally slated to hit theatres in India on October 17. However, it has been postponed to October 31, keeping in mind Shah Rukh’s next with

Farah Khan

-- Happy New Year -- which releases on October 24.

An industry insider tells us, "Their (the distributors) only guess is that the two-week wait will serve best for the film as it will fetch them better results at the box office."

Shah Rukh’s film is expected to have a huge opening in India, with maximum screens showing the film, thereby reducing the number of screens and shows for the Hollywood movie.

When contacted, Deepak Sharma, COO of the company that is distributing the film in India, confirms the development. He says, "Since the worldwide release is on October 17, and that’s peak family time in India, given the festivities of Diwali, we took a conscious call to push the release. Also, Shah Rukh’s film is coming out, which will definitely be a priority watch for the audience."

However, Sharma adds that he’s confident about the Pitt-starrer. According to him, the decision to delay the release is just a strategic one, to ensure a better opening for the film. "The buzz around the movie is high and it has recently been voted as one of the most awaited films of the year. With Pitt in it, and the given storyline, we are certain it will do well in India," he says.