International
Fourth of July weekend garners $229 mn for domestic BO
MUMBAI: As predicted fireworks blazed at the Fourth of July box office which headed to $229 million (mn) domestic through Sunday (+16 per cent from last year) and a new three-day weekend record for the holiday. But there was only bad news for Disney‘s expensive The Lone Ranger (3,904 theaters) which opened disastrously Wednesday, remained weak on Thursday, did only $10.6 mn Friday, and flatlined for $10.7 mn Saturday. That‘s a very disappointing five-day holiday of $48.9 mn max. The two-quadrant Western won‘t cover its high $215 mn-$250 mn cost despite this holiday‘s 4x multiple. The Johnny Depp – Armie Hammer starrer‘s domestic cume is way below.
Disney‘s initial lowball projection of $65 mn and the third big-budget bomb of summer 2013. (Two Sony pics – White House Down and After Earth – also were expensive bombs.) As Deadline first reported, the studio in August 2011 shut down Lone Ranger for six months after the budget ballooned out of control. Disney would have been better off scraping the pic altogether. Depp‘s worldwide popularity may help overseas where oaters usually don‘t excel.Lone Ranger opened day and date in 30 per cent of the foreign landscape but only four big markets: Italy and Russia (released 2 July) and Australia and Korea (4 July). It made $24.3 mn internationally for a global cume of $73.2 mn through Sunday.
The result for the no 1 movie was far different, Illumination Entertainment‘s and Universal‘s Despicable Me 2 (3,957 theaters) which only cost a very reasonable $76 mn. It is the no 1 film in the world this weekend, opening atop the US and Canadian box office with a record-breaking estimated gross of $142.1 mn. The 3D toon posted the biggest five-day opening for an animated film and the top three-day animated opening in July (earning $82.5 mn).
Internationally, its gross widened to 6,849 dates in 45 territories to total $151.1 mn. The combined global cume is $293.2 mn. This marks Universal‘s second biggest international opening weekend ever behind Fast & Furious 6 ($161M). Not only is DM2 performing well ahead of the original film globally but also on par with such toon franchise megahits as Toy Story 3, Ice Age 4, Madagascar 3 and Shrek 4. And the sequel‘s opening is among the top animated openings of all time in every market.
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.
