International
Jacko film earns $20 million on day 1
MUMBAI: As fans around the globe thronged theatres showing Michael Jackson‘s film This Is It, the film earned $20.1 million at the box-offices all around on its first day in theatres.
The film, which shows the late pop star rehearsing for a series of comeback concerts before his death in June this year made $7.4 million in the United States and Canada and another $12.7 million internationally.
Says Columbia Pictures spokesman Steve Elzer said in a statement, “The studio believes that the worldwide launch, with very strong performance across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia, represents an amazing beginning for the film and a reaffirmation of the global appeal of Michael Jackson.”
This Is It premiered on Tuesday night and then began playing around the world on Wednesday, which is unusual for a movie that is not based on a major franchise like the Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean.
In the United Kingdom, box-offices raked in under $2 million, while French sales totaled about $1.4 million and Germany just over $1 million. Japanese fans spent roughly $1.2 million and in China the film fetched $730,000.
The question now for Columbia is how well the movie will perform during the upcoming, first weekend. Jackson‘s fans were expected to turn out in droves early, but whether they will be repeat customers remains to be seen.
Columbia has said the movie will be extended beyond its planned two-week run if ticket demand is high. The studio plans a DVD release in 2010.
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.
