International
Toy Story 3 on top spot edges Karate Kid to spot two
MUMBAI: This week‘s release Toy Story 3 garnered $109 million in its opening weekend.
Released in 4,028 theaters, the 3D animated film posted the best opening weekend for a Pixar movie ever.
On its opening day (Friday), the film grossed $41 million surpassing $39.4 million that Shrek the Third had grossed in 2007.
With 11 number one openings for its eleven films, Pixar‘s track record remains unbroken.
Even though families were flocking to Toy Story, Sony‘s The Karate Kid maintained its adulation. Though the film slid 48 per cent, it took the second spot as it roped in an additional $29 million and saw its domestic tally rise to $106 million after 10 days.
Toy Story 3 also opened at no. 1 on the overseas theatrical circuit, grossing $44.8 million from 4,787 screens in 25 territories.
Fabulous debuts in China and Latin America helped the film register “the largest debut for a Pixar title, almost doubling the high set by. Up drew a total foreign box-office returns of $438 million. In Mexico, the film generated $14.3 million.
While in China, Toy Story 3 grossed $9.5 million in the weekend, in Brazil it came up with $ 3.3 million. In Argentina, the film roped in $2.3 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.
