International
Rodrick triumphs at weekend box-office
MUMBAI: Grossing $24.4 million Fox 2000’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules came winner in the weekend box-office race that delivered the studio a new franchise.
On the other hand, Warner Bros.‘ Sucker Punch grossed $19 million.
Rodrick Rules, based on childrens‘ book series and screening in 3,167 theatres came in ahead of the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which opened a year ago to $22.1 million.
The sequel, costing $20 million, enjoyed a 39 per cent raise on that of Saturday with nearly 60 per cent of the audience under the age of 18. The success of Rodrick Rules, about a middle school boy and his brother, almost guarantees that Fox 2000 will make a triquel.
Sucker Punch, costing at least $75 million to produce, was co-financed by Warners and Legendary Pictures. Internally, Warners had expected the fanboy pic — about a rough-and-tumble group of girls trying to escape from a mental institution — to clear $20 million.
Sucker Punch‘s Imax runs set records. Playing in 229 Imax locations, the movie grossed $4 million for the large format exhibitor, or 21 per cent of the opening weekend gross. That’s the biggest share ever for a 2-D release in Imax.
Overseas, the film grossed $7.4 million from 2,145 screens in 23 markets, putting its worldwide bow at $26.4 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.
