Even though one waits to see when does Salman Khan announce the arrival of his 'Mental', there are other filmmakers who are ensuring that their films make an early dash towards the finishing line.

With holidays turning out to be the most lucrative period for the films to arrive, 2014 is already seeing a bunch of top production houses blocking dates well in advance. In fact some of them have their plans in place for even a year and a half down the line.

Amazing, but true!

"Filmmakers have realised that to hit the hardest, they need to plan well in advance. Otherwise this whole clamour around finding the best arrival date doesn't help anyone. There are two many high profile clashes that end up taking place and in the process lead to ugly situations, as was the case with 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' v/s 'Son of Sardaar' last year and 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2' v/s 'Chennai Express' this year," says an insider.

Resultantly, top production houses like Yash Raj Films, Nadiadwala Grandson and Dharma Productions have gone ahead and announced their slate for 2014 already.

"Chopras have blocked Valentine Day for their 'Gunday'. Sajid Nadiadwala too has chosen this date for 'Heropanti'. A quick choice is in the form of Eid next year which has been picked for Salman Khan's 'Kick'. Meanwhile he is also bringing his '2 States' in the IPL month of April which has been lucky for him, case in point being 'Housefull' and 'Housefull 2'.

The film is made in partnership with Karan Johar who has further chosen the Republic Day weekend for bringing his 'Hasee Toh Phasee'. Moreover, he has already blocked Diwali 2014 for his biggie 'Shuddhi'," a source confirms.

With Ekta Kapoor too joining the fray and confirming Varun Dhawan's 'Main Tera Hero' for April next year, the battle has just begun, what with other premium production houses expected to find their slots as well.