International
Avatar adds $153m to Fox Int’l kitty in second week
MUMBAI: Avatar grossed much more in its second weekend than Fox International originally estimated. It added $152.8m to $413.2m after 12 days of release.
The result propelled the studios annual box-office tally to an industry-high of $2.28bn overtaking Warner Bros Pictures International‘s $2.24bn record from 2007.
The James Cameron film played on 14,686 screens in 108 markets. Combined with the $212.7m North American take Avatar has grossed $625.9m worldwide.
International business was driven by impressive holds and Fox‘s highest non-franchise launch in Japan on $14.5m from 749 screens, which was also Fox‘s fourth highest launch behind the Star Wars franchise. The 283 3D screen count comprised 38% of the entire count and accounted for 75% of box office.
In the second weekend, Avatar grossed a further $21.8m from 1,114 in France for $51.7m, $13.6m from 1,329 in Russia for $44.2m, $12.8m from 1,138 in Germany for $34.2m, $12.5m from 800 in Spain for $28.8m, and $6.5m from 735 in South Korea for $23.4m.
The film added $6.1m from 496 in the UK for $28.4m and $5.6m from 1,478 in Mexico for $15.1m and is now the second highest industry release of 2009 behind Ice Age 3.
Elsewhere, Avatar added $5.3m from 654 in Brazil after a 5 per cent climb to stand at $13.9m following the highest second weekend in industry history and added $2.8m from 71 in Hong Kong following a 44 per cent rise to stand at $6.9m.
It is the third highest Fox release ever and the seventh highest industry release after 11 days.
Latest figures put Taiwan at $7.8m, Holland at $6m, India at $10.7m, Sweden at $5.3m, Switzerland at $4.4m, and Singapore at $4.2m, where Avatar is the second highest Fox release ever behind Titanic on SGD 5.3m.
Avatar overtook Titanic in Malaysia to become the highest Fox release in history on $3.5m, and overtook Ice Age 3 in Indonesia to become Fox‘s biggest release ever on $2.9m.
The film grossed $3.367m on IMAX screens in a new IMAX record. So far Avatar has amassed $11.3m internationally and should overtake the $15m record within two or three days. The global IMAX take for Avatar stands at $35m.
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.
