International
John Carter at top with $101.2 mn
MUMBAI: Andrew Stanton‘s 3D science-fiction John Carter hit $30.6 million in its North American debut thanks to an uptick on Saturday, while the film opened internationally to $70.6 million for a total $101.2 million. In an otherwise bland box office weekend offshore, the film‘s robust performance provided a much-needed jolt.
Although the Disney film‘s weekend overseas tally was easily the best so far, it does reflect the film‘s under-performance in key territories. Like for example, in Mexico that is usually far more receptive to adventure-fantasy vehicles, the film grossed less than $3 million ($2.9 million).
The disparity between the Russian gross and the opening takes in key European territories has, however, been in double digits. The Australia figure appears undernourished given Carter‘s production budget and promotional push.
The $250-million-plus live action-computer animation fantasy claimed the No. 1 spots in at least nine territories mostly in Asia including ($3.4 million from some 250 locations) in Australia. However, the biggest single market by far was Russia where Carter took 25 per cent of the territory‘s weekend box office by grossing $17.5 million.
In Germany, the film competing with Intouchables, generated $3 million. Carter is placed second in the UK ($2.9 million), France ($3.8 million) and in South Korea ($3.9 million).
Placed in the second spot on the weekend overall was 20th Century Fox‘s This Means War that collected $9.4 million on the weekend from 3,662 situations in 52 territories. With this, the film lifted its overseas gross total to $57.5 million.
At No. 3 was Journey 2: The Mysterious Island which was in the top spot in the previous four weekends grossed $9.2 million from 53 markets, thus lifting its overseas gross total to $200 million compared to $143 grossed overseas by its 2008 predecessor Journey To The Center Of The Earth.
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.
