A continuing crackdown on movie piracy and import of latest technology are bringing viewers back to Chennai's cinema halls.

Theatre owners say the daily earnings are shooting up as they woo fans with high-tech visual treats. On Thursday night, the Satyam Cinema theatre in the heart of the city, used what are known as DLP technology-based projectors to screen Star Wars Episode III.

The theatre has two digital projection systems, one from Belgium and the other from Canada. Light from the projector's lamp is reflected off the micro-mirrors, creating different colored pixels, recreating the movie with a range of more than 3Q trillion colors.

"The clarity of the image is the same on the first projection and the 100th, every equipment and process adhering to the specifications laid down by Digital Cinema Initiative, which has set standards for Hollywood's exhibitions," said S.V. Swaroop Reddy of Satyam.

The crackdown by the (state) government on video piracy has worked magic, increasing viewing by 30 percent across the 1,800 cinema halls in the state, say others in the Tamil movie industry.

"Rajnikanth's 'Chandramukhi' saw record box office collections this month," said S.R. Ramanathan, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association and general secretary of Film Federation of India.

With audiences returning, theatres are moving up for the great cinematic experience. Chennai's suburbs are home to Prarthana, a cinema with a beautiful beach that stays open till 1.30 a.m. and is popular as the perfect lovers' getaway.

Opened in 1991, the 15-acre campus houses a mini amusement park, games courts, food courts and a 100-by-60-feet screen tower.

Prarthana will this year see more changes for a "greater viewing experience", says N.D.J. Ranganathan, the Cineplex owner.

The city is now gearing up for an Inox theatre by the year end as also a 40-seater PVR theatre that will "give an exotic viewing experience, complete with an exquisite meal", says K.R. Subramaniam of Prasad Labs, who has helped to design the popular Satyam and Mayajal multiplexes.