International
The Smurfs still No. 1 spot at overseas b-o
Mumbai : Sony Animation‘s The Smurfs captured the No. 1 spot in the overseas market with a gross of $35.3 million, down 34 per cent from last week, running on 10,590 screens in 54 markets.
The family-oriented 3D outing about those lovable blue creatures finished in the top spot in at least nine territories including Poland ($1.45 million), Colombia, Israel, Chile, Portugal, Austria and in Brazil ($3.9 million) respectively.
The film, that topped the foreign circuit for the second consecutive weekend, has collected a total offshore gross of $211.4 million since it opened overseas on 27July. It collected $329 million worldwide.
The weekend‘s No. 2 spot was again held by 20th Century Fox‘s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, that amassed $29.6 million from 6,271 venues in 48 markets. The seventh installment of the 47-year-old feature film series has so far collected $123.7 million overseas.
Climbing down to the third position was Warner Bros.‘ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 that generated $14.3 million on the weekend from 60 territories.
With debuts in six markets including a No. 2 opening in France ($3.5 million from 480 locations), lifted the overall weekend tally for Marvel Studios‘ Captain American: The First Avenger to $12 million from 4,718 venues in 51 territories and increased the 3D superhero comic book adaptation‘s overseas total to $147 million. The film was ranked fourth.
At the fifth position was Warner‘s Green Lantern that generated $11.4 million from about 4,200 venues in 35 territories in the last weekend. A Brazil opener provided $3.3 million from 352 locations. Globally, the film collected $78.6 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.
