International
Harry Potter film crosses $1 billion mark
MUMBAI: The last of Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 has crossed the $1 billion mark globally at the end of the first week.
The latest Potter film has earned $640.2 million worldwide. While the film has grossed $214.9 million domestically, it raked in an additional $425.3 million at the international box office, it is understood.
The terrific opening of the film also pushed Warners‘ domestic box office take for 2011 to over $1 billion for the eleventh consecutive year.
Commented Warner Bros president of worldwide marketing Sue Kroll, “Each film has inspired us creatively, and it has been exciting to watch the evolution through eight remarkable movies. It has truly been the movie event of a generation, as Harry Potter fans who were there from the beginning have been joined by new fans over the years, and their enthusiasm, as well as our own has never waned.”
Even before the latest movie opened, the Potter franchise was already the highest-grossing franchise of all time beating out both the Star Wars and James Bond films, a status it has held since the sixth film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that released in 2009.
Individually, the worldwide grosses for the previous films are: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer‘s Stone, $974,755,371; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, $878,979,634; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, $796,688,549; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $896,911,078; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, $939,885,929; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, $934,416,487; and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, $955,417,476.
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.
