International
Gregory Meyer initiates proxy was with Blockbuster
MUMBAI: Gregory Meyer, the co-founder of DVDXpress that merged with Redbox last year, has initiated a proxy battle with Blockbuster in his aim to see himself as company director.
News of the proxy battle comes as Carl Icahn disclosed that he sold all of his Class B shares and more than 48,000 Class A shares of Blockbuster. That leaves the billionaire financier with less than 4 per cent of the company, down from about 17 per cent recently.
Meyer, who owns 620,000 Blockbuster shares, wants to replace James Crystal when shareholders vote at the annual meeting 26 May. Crystal incidentally owns 140,000 Blockbuster shares.
In a filing, Meyer said that one reason shareholders should oust Crystal is that he hasn‘t purchased shares from the open market and has got them only through his service on the board. Meyer also noted that when Crystal joined the board in 2007, The stock of Blockbuster was at $6.50 a share and it closed at 28 cents on Thursday.
Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes called Meyer‘s self-nomination “a costly and disruptive proxy contest,” and recommended that shareholders vote for Crystal.
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.
