International
Skyfall reigns for third consecutive week
MUMBAI: Seizing the No. 1 box office spot offshore for the third consecutive round, Skyfall, with a weekend tally of $89 million from 12,850 locations in 80 markets, is now on its way to becoming the biggest-grossing James Bond title ever released in the foreign theatrical circuit.
Since its overseas opening on 26 October, Daniel Craig‘s third Bond outing has collected $428.6 million, just $3.6 million away from the $432.2 total foreign gross of the existing franchise record holder 2006‘s Casino Royale that also starred Craig.
The film is expected to overtake Casino Royale on Monday, said Sony, which has collected $367.4 million of the total overseas take while co-distributor MGM has taken in $61.2 via various licensees.
The film‘s weekend feature was dominated by the UK that contributed $18.2 million from 1,786 sites in Skyfall‘s third round there. In Germany, the second round tally was $15.1 million at 1,338 situations for a market total of $44 million. France came up with $8.2 million in the third stanza at 825 sites, for a market total of $42.5 million.
The 22 previous Bond titles that started from Dr No, the first that generated $43.4 million overseas to 2008‘s Quantum of Solace that amassed $407.7 million, have tallied total foreign revenues of $3.277 billion.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
