MUMBAI: Going by first day all-India collections, it was a no contest between Sajid Nadiadwala's full-on 'masala' entertainer Welcome and Aamir Khan's critically acclaimed Taare Zameen Par.

Opening collections for Welcome was a solid 90 per cent, way ahead of TZP's 50 per cent box office take.

In spite of the war between distributors and multiplex owners over the release of the two films (thankfully sorted out in the end), the 'junta' jury seem to have delivered their verdict on the films: both movies are going to rock, in two different ways. Welcome the super sprinter and TZP a marathon runner.

With Welcome getting a huge thumbs up from viewers on its entertainment quotient, the film is expected to continue its strong run, which would mean that its lead Akshay Kumar would have enjoyed by far the best year of his career with four big hits to his name. Moreover, it was reported that the movie had opened to an unprecedented AED 450,000 in the UAE.

As for TZP, the trade is expecting that the fantastic word of mouth as well as the fact that it has garnered the best reviews of any mainstream film released in 2008, means that it will pick up further and have sustaining power.

The films deal with two vastly different themes: while Welcome is a romantic comedy about three gangsters on the lookout for a suitable groom, Taare Zameen Par is a toast to children and childhood and tells the story of a dyslexic child who comes to find himself through the help of his art teacher.