International
Battle: Los Angeles still reigns foreign box-office
MUMBAI: Sony‘s Battle: Los Angeles commanded the foreign theatrical circuit by generating $29 million from 8,220 screens in 55 markets. It said that the special-effects extravaganza premiered at 3,968 locations in China and raked in $11.8 million there. In Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Hungary also the film stood at the no. 1 spot.
The film‘s overseas gross accumulated over 12-day period stood at $51.9 million. The latest weekend gross was the highest of any No. 1 weekend tally recorded this year on the foreign circuit.
Meanwhile, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, also a Fox release, passed the $300 million mark overseas while Black Swan managed to cross the $175 million barrier.
Finishing at the second spot was Paramount‘s Rango, which stood first the previous weekend. A strong Russia debut ($4.2 million from 650 spots) and a first-place Israel bow for the animation title voiced by Depp spurred the total weekend tally to $20 million from 5,810 situations in 54 markets. The foreign take is $73 million since 2 March.
Warner Bros.‘ The Rite, the supernatural drama starring Anthony Hopkins grossed $7.2 million from 2,500 screens in 39 other markets, sufficient for a No. 3 ranking overall. Its international cume stands at $46.1 million.
At the No. 4 spot was Black Swan, which collected $5.8 million from 3,200 screens in 43 markets, driving the Natalie Portman starrer to a foreign cume of $175.2 million.
Lastly, at the fifth spot was Universal‘s The Adjustment Bureau that pushed its foreign total to $32.3 million thanks to a $5.6 million weekend at 2,629 screens in 38 territories.
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.
