International
Paramount acquires US rights of Area 51
MUMBAI: Paramount Pictures has paid a seven figure sum to Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli for the US rights of the filmmaker‘s alien thriller Area 51.
Following a protracted negotiation process that had dragged on for close to a month, IM Global CEO Stuart Ford, CAA, Incentive Filmed Entertainment chairman David Molner and attorneys Linda Lichter and Jamie Feldman closed the deal with the studio last week.
By paying the highest sum, Paramount beat rival bids from DreamWorks and Lionsgate. It is understood that Summit Entertainment was also in the race but withdrew earlier.
IM Global had recently sold out international rights of Area 51 at the American Film Market, where buyers scarcely needed the incentive of an imminent domestic deal to drive business in the wake of Paranormal Activity‘s stunning US box-office.
The company licensed Area 51 to Momentum for UK, Concorde for Germany, Euro TV for France, Zelta for Spain, Village Roadshow for Australia and New Zealand, PlayArte for Latin America and Alliance for Canada.
Right now, Area 51 is in post-production and it is understood that Paramount is eager to schedule a release in early 2010.
With $18 million and a three-week total collection of $138.8 million, Sony‘s 2012 stood at the third spot.
The John Travolta and Robin Williams starrer Disney‘s Old Dogs took the No. 4 spot with an estimated $16.8 million. Though the film was criticized by critics, moviegoers seem to have liked it.
At No. 5 was Disney‘s A Christmas Carol that amassed $16 million, up 30 per cent from the $12.3 million that it grossed last week.
Ninja Assassin opened at No. 6 with a collection of $13.1 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.
