International
Survey finds Barrymore, Murphy in their own league
MUMBAI: According to a survey, Drew Barrymore and Eddie Murphy are in a league of their own.
Top stars can make tens of millions of dollars on a single film, and the payout can be justified when a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean brings in several hundred million at box offices. But when their movies bomb, that‘s another story. Barrymore saw her 2010 romantic comedy Going the Distance mop up $17.8 million in ticket sales. Her 2009 films Everybody‘s Fine and Whip It fared worse.
Forbes.com said the actress returns just 40 cents for every dollar movie studios spend for her participation.
In comparison, Murphy‘s films returned $2.70 for each dollar he was paid. Compared to Barrymore, Murphy is a financial superstar, said Forbes.com‘s Dorothy Pomerantz. But off late the star has been seen struggling with flops like Imagine That and Meet Dave.
The magazine compiled the list from Hollywood‘s 40 top-earning actors, and based it on each star‘s compensation on his or her last three films and the operating income on those films. From that, Forbes.com derived a return-on-investment.
Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington and Reese Witherspoon all made the top 10.
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.
