International
Dark Knight Rises still on top in fifth consecutive week
MUMBAI: Weak overseas box office intakes enabled The Dark Knight Rises to again rule the No. 1 spot for the fifth consecutive week pushing the film‘s overseas gross total past that of its predecessor, The Dark Knight that released in 2008.
The $20.6-million weekend tally recorded by The Dark Knight in 61 overseas markets was this year‘s third lowest for a No. 1-ranked title. But, in spite of this, the Christopher Nolan-helmed film totaled its foreign accumulation to $487.8 million, which is $18.1 million more than Dark Knight‘s $469.7 million.
The gap, in mention, should widen since The Dark Knight opens in Greece this week, China on 27 August and in Italy on 29 Aug. The two biggest markets of the film, to date, are the UK and Australia.
The weekend‘s notable foreign circuit newcomer was undoubtedly The Expendables 2 that stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Dammes and Arnold Schwarzenegger among many others.
Universal opened the Millennium Films-Nu Image Films action sequel.
Upon opening, the film took the top market spot with $7.9 million drawn from 750 sites. This was 45 per cent bigger than the opening tally grossed by The Expendables in 2010. In Italy, the film recorded a No. 1 debut gross of $2 million at 259 locations.
In the UK, the film tallied $2.8 million (including previews) at around 450 situations.
The total gross of Russia, Italy and UK stands at an estimated $12.7 million.
It may be remembered that the original Expendables had grossed $171.4 million overseas compared to $103.1 million in the US and Canada.
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.
