International
Fast Five reigns international box office
MUMBAI: Having collected an estimated $58 million from 8,800 locations in 61 territories, Universal‘s Fast Five has claimed the No. 1 box office slot on the foreign theatrical circuit for the second consecutive weekend.
Fast Five‘s foreign gross total stands at $271.7 million compared to its $168.8 million domestic tally, making the sequel the franchise‘s highest grossing title. It overtook the previous record-holder, 2009‘s Fast & Furious, that grossed $208 million offshore.
But the film‘s second weekend tally fell 32 per cent from the prior round indicating that the summer‘s first two powerhouse Hollywood studio titles including Paramount‘s Thor made a dent at the overseas box office.
Since its first opening offshore on 21 April, Thor has grossed $225 million. The film finished at No. 2 last weekend with a draw of $27.5 million from 11,861 locations in 60 territories. Since its 8 May China debut, the film, an adaptation of the Stan Lee comic book, grossed a total of $11.5 million, out of which $4.1 million was raised in the last weekend.
Sony‘s Priest that opened overseas on 6 May seems to be a film that is slowly catching the eye of the audience. The film grossed $16.7 million from 4,015 screens in 46 markets for an early overseas cume of $25.6 million. The sci-fi thriller in 3D opened No. 1 in the Ukraine, Singapore and Venezuela, while standing in first place in Russia with a second weekend tally of $3.5 million from 550 spots.
Woody Allen‘s Midnight in Paris registered an estimated $4 million from some 325 locations and a No. 2 market ranking behind Fast Five.
Meanwhile, Black Swan has crossed the $300-million mark at the global box-office, a feat few independent films are able to accomplish. Last weekend, the film opened in Japanese theatres where it collected $6.1 million, according to distributor Fox Searchlight. That enabled the film to push its international total to $198.4 million and its worldwide tally to $305 million.
Few other low-budget, independently released films have reached that milestone. Danny Boyle‘s Slumdog Millionaire that won the 2008 Oscar for best picture, grossed $377.9 million worldwide and Mel Gibson‘s The Passion of the Christ collected $611.9 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.
