International
Movie going patterns remain stable in the US: Nielsen
MUMBAI: Media research company Nielsen has taken a look at annual moviegoer trends in the US as the awards season continues. According to Nielsen National Research Group‘s 2012 American Movie going report, 70 per cent of Americans aged 12 and older reported seeing one or more movies at a theater in the last 12 months, which is in line with the earlier year trend.
The demographic makeup of the movie going audience has remained relatively consistent over the last couple of years, but the proportion of younger moviegoers (12-24) and oldest moviegoers (65-74) has grown gradually at the expense of middle-aged moviegoers (25-54).
Overall attendance to new release movies was on par with a year ago (6.8 movies per person on average, compared with 6.9 in 2011), while movie going increased among Hispanics (12 per cent), people aged 25-34 (seven per cent), youths 12-17 (three per cent) and males (three per cent). Although there were slightly more female moviegoers than male moviegoers in 2012 (51 per cent and 49 per cent respectively), men accounted for 55 per cent of theatrical attendance.
When looking at the movie going audience by race/ethnicity, Hispanics were the heaviest moviegoers, as they represented 18 per cent of the movie going population, but accounted for 25 per cent of all movies seen. Hispanics were also the only demographic group that went to more movies in 2012 than in the prior year-9.5 movies on average compared with 8.5 in 2011.
The 2012 report highlights that going to the movie theater seems to carry a particularly positive cultural significance for Hispanics, as they were considerably more likely than non-Hispanics to view going to a theater as a way to spend time with their family and friends (86 per cent versus 77 per cent). They also were more likely to spend time discussing the movies after seeing them (66 per cent versus 53 per cent).
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.
