International
Madagascar 3 still no. 1 for second week too
MUMBAI: Posting a fall of a modest 31 per cent from its opening foreign launch, DreamWorks Animation‘s Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted stood at the No. 1 offshore box office spot for the second consecutive weekend with $53 million drawn from 10,957 locations in 43 markets. That puts the overseas gross total of the sequel in the animation franchise at $157 million.
The film opened in 15 mostly medium-sized territories, taking the top spot in each. But it was the holdover territories that provided most of the box office impetus. Russia recorded $9.2 million, in France, the film collected $6.2 million while in Mexico, the film collected a modest $5.2 million.
Director Adam Shankman‘s Warner Bros.-distributed film Rock of Ages played at 1,850 screens in 10 territories and drew $4.1 million with a UK debut garnering $1.6 million from 471 sites. That‘s My Boy, Adam Sandler‘s latest R-rated comedy premiered on 223 screens in Australia for $1.4 million.
Taking the No. 1 weekend spot in Japan and the No. 2 berth overall was Universal‘s Snow White and the Huntsman that grossed $31.2 million from as many as 6,768 locations in 57 territories. In Japan, the film generated $4.7 million from 335 locations taking a 45 per cent market share while in France, the film drew $5.1 million from 610 situations for a 27 per cent market share.
In Russia, Rupert Sanders‘ period action fantasy drew $6.1 million from 721 spots. The film has grossed a total of $124.6 million so far overseas with openings in Australia, New Zealand and Chile due this week.
The weekend‘s No. 3 spot was occupied by Prometheus which registered No. 2 openings in Latin, Central and South America from Mexico to Argentina. In Mexico the collection was $3.2 million from 1,280 spots while in Brazil, it collected $3 million from 508 sites.
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.
