International
G.I. Joe Retaliation draws $132 million internationally
MUMBAI: Marking the biggest start of the year so far for any film and nearly double the opening earnings of G.I Joe: The Rise of the Cobra in the same markets in 2009, Paramount‘s action thriller G.I. Joe Retaliation opened to a strong $80.3 million at the international box office.
Directed by Jon M Chu, G.I. Joe comprises an international cast led by franchise newcomers Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis. The film debuted with $51.7 million in North America for a global opening of $132 million.
The film did particularly well in Russia, Latin America and Asia — all markets where 3D remains a popular format. Among 2013 releases, the movie opened 10 percent ahead of Oz the Great and Powerful and 25 per cent ahead of Willis‘ A Good Day to Die Hard.
The film opened in a total of 54 territories representing 75 percent of the international marketplace. The only major territories left to open are China and Japan. Top openings included Russia ($11 million), South Korea ($6 million), Mexico ($6 million) and Germany ($4.5 million).
The film has been placed at No. 1 in most of the countries, although 3D animated film The Croods did better than it in the U.K.
From DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox, Croods opened in another five markets over the Easter weekend including the U.K. where it roped in $5 million. The family film was placed No 2 internationally for the weekend, earning $52.5 million for a foreign total of $140.5 million and worldwide cume of $229.1 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.
