The Battle of the Bonds

I remember in the summer of '83 which was the summer before I went off to college I worked at a local cinema when Octopussy and Never Say Never Again were supposed to be released simultaneously. Unfortunately, that never happened but that summer was still called the Battle of the Bonds. It has often been said that Octopussy won that battle because it grossed $67 million to Never's $55 million. But Octopussy was released in June of that year at the height of the summer blockbuster season when cinemas had matinees playing every day whereas Never was released that October when matinees were shown only on weekends. Had Never also been released during the summer, it would have been a much closer "battle". For that reason, I personally believe that the battle remains unresolved.