International
CineAsia trade show to honour Lotte Cinemas
MUMBAI: The annual CineAsia trade show will honour Lotte Cinemas with the DLP Cinema Marketing Achievement Award on 9 December at Hong Kong.
Seoul-based Lotte Cinema, that currently operates 62 multiplexes with 462 screens and 162 3D systems is in the midst of an expansion beyond the South Korean market.
The company has launched three multiplexes in Vietnam and its first China location, in the northeastern city of Shenyang, is scheduled to be open at the end of this year In 2011, it will expand its multiplex business with 17 new domestic locations and 14 foreign locations.
As China‘s box office boom continues, jumping over 80% in the first half of this year, the rapidly expanding exhibition sector sees a rush of new players coming into the market to compete.
To stay ahead, Lotte, in 2009, introduced the world‘s first robot cinema usher, called Ciromi, and gave its customer base a ticket-booking Smartphone application.
From their cinemas‘ free Wi-fi Internet zones, to their 13.1-channel sound systems and 4D auditoriums Lotte Cinemas is pioneering change in Korea‘s multiplex industry.
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.
