International
The Social Network clings to top spot in 2nd week
MUMBAI: The Social Network, the Facebook film reigned the North American box-office for the second straight weekend.
A couple of new films in the form of romantic comedy Life As We Know It and Secretariat failed to gain muster, with the former drawing in $14.6 million while the latter rounded out the top three positions with $12.6 million.
In comparison, The Social Network garnered $15.5 million. The film played in just under 2,800 locations to record a per-theatre average of around $5,600. Ticket sales dipped by about 30 per cent, a minimal drop by Hollywood standards from last week’s final haul of $22.4. In two weeks, The Social Network has roped in $46.1 million that Columbia said covers its production cost, putting the film on a solid path to profitability.
Warner Bros’ Life As We Know It, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel drew in $14.6 million from 3,150 locations averaging over $4,600 per theatre, while Secretariat rounded up the weekend with $12.6 million from around 3,200 venues for $4,100 per theatre.
Last week’s No. 2 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole slipped two steps to No. 4 spot with $7 million pushing its cumulative ticket sales to $39.4 million after two weeks.
At the No. 5 spot was horror master Wes Craven’s My Soul to Take in 3D. The film slashed its way to $6.9 million in ticket sales and a per-theatre average of around $2,700.
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.
