Going to the movies in Malaysia usually meant popping the latest pirated Hollywood blockbuster into your VCD or DVD and plopping down on the couch in the comfort of your own home.

Not only could you avoid the traffic, the bad popcorn and the rustling, whispering and coughing of fellow cinema-goers, you could catch the latest film before it was even released - and save money.

But those days are over, for the moment at least. A nationwide crackdown in Malaysia has seen hawkers of pirated discs swept off the streets and movie-lovers swept back into the queues at the multiplex.

The blitz has led to the seizure of more than three million discs estimated to be worth over RM20 million, according to official figures.