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Incompetent to deal with the blitz of television channels and video piracies, more than 65 cinema halls in the State have been closed down while a majority of these are on the threshold of adorning fresh look.

Industry Minister Biswa Bhusan Harichandan had told last State Assembly that as many as 177 cinema halls were running while more than 25 per cent of these could not keep pace with the time.

However the Orissa Cinema Hall Owners' Association (OCHOA) turned down the figure saying the scenario was worst than being depicted. Not more than 120 cinema halls are running in Orissa while more than half of it has been shut down, Association president B Mohanty said.

Out of 26 cinema halls, 10 buildings were locked. The first cinema hall of the State, SSVT at Berhampur has long been closed down.

Similarly, Jyoti cinema hall of Berhampur, the highest seat capacity hall of the State, has now been converted into a hotel. Moreover, an apartment is coming up in Vijaya Hall complex and Vijay cinema hall has got new address of a marriage mandap in the southern city.

In Cuttack district, six cinema halls have been shut down. As the cinema halls are situated in prominent places, offers are flowing in thick and fast from shopping mall chains to switch over the trade.

Similar situation is prevailing in Bhubaneswar. The theatres like Ekamra Cinema Hall, Kalpana Cinema Hall and Ravi Talkies are facing the stiff situation with a small number of crowds gathering to have a show.

The situation has worsened to such an extent that cinema halls see a sizeable crowds only during first two or three days of release of a film.

Fearing that number of viewers would come down further if prices of entry tickets were raised, cinema hall owners are sitting helplessly.