International
Chinese domestic movie market sees 35 per cent growth
NEW DELHI: Even as India continues to produce the largest number of films, China has shown a major growth with total box office revenue for the first nine months of the year at RMB16.4 billion (US$2.7 billion), a year-on-year growth of 34.9 per cent.
With a market share of approximately 58 per cent, domestic films continue to rule the market with RMB9.56 billion (US$1.57 billion) in total revenue, a year-on-year growth of 93.8 per cent, according to China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) in the third quarter box office statistics.
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Five of the top ten grossing films of the first nine months of the year are domestic films that include Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (RMB1.24 billion), So Young (RMB 715 million), American Dreams in China (RMB 538 million), Finding Mr. Right (RMB 518 million) and Tiny Times 1 (RMB 488 million).
Opening at the end of September, Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon has already surpassed American Dreams as the third top grossing domestic film of the year. By last week, it had taken RMB 583 million.
Several major releases set for December are expected to further lift domestic films:
Benny Chan’s The White Storm, Feng Xiaogang’s Personal Tailor, Alan Yuen’s Firestorm, and Ding Sheng’s Police Story 2013.
Foreign films made RMB 6.87 billion (US$1.13 billion) in total revenue, a year-on-year decline of 5.2 per cent. This represents somewhat of a recovery over the summer. In the first half of the year, foreign films were recorded as experiencing a year-on-year decline in box office revenue of 21.3 per cent.
The top five grossing foreign films of the first nine months of the years — three of which were in cinemas during the third quarter are: Iron Man 3 (RMB 751 million), Pacific Rim (RMB 694 million), Furious 6 (RMB 412 million), The Croods (RMB 394.8 million) and Man of Steel (RMB 394.6 million).
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.
