International
Overseas box office takes a hit with Taken 2 making $55.2 mn from 50 markets
MUMBAI: The foreign theatrical circuit got a surprise at the weekend as Taken 2 released in 50 overseas markets, generated an estimated $55.2 million.
The sequel to 2008‘s kidnapping thriller, Taken 2 roped in $39.2 million from 28 offshore territories handled by Twentieth Century Fox and an estimated $16 million from 22 markets handled by Luc Besson‘s EuropaCorp, the film‘s co-producer.
The action title reprises Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssens as co-stars. It began its international run last round in South Korea and currently stands as Fox‘s biggest release of the year in that market with a total of $13.8 million.
Taken 2 opened No. 1 in at least a dozen foreign territories including the U.K. ($12.1 million including previews at 807 sites), Australia ($8.2 million at 365 locales, Fox‘s biggest market opening of 2012) and Mexico ($2.55 million at 761 situations). In France via EuropaCorp, it took the No. 1 spot by generating $8.4 million at some 480 spots.
The film opens this week in another eight markets via Fox including Italy and Greece. EuropaCorp will open the picture in Germany.
Looper, last week‘s No. 1 foreign title, opened over the weekend in six markets – Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Romania and Denmark. The No. 6 Germany bow generated an estimated $1.25 million (including previews) from some 329 locations. In Austria, the film opened No. 5, grossing an estimated $85,000 from 29 sites while the film‘s Denmark bow elicited $131,000, according to Filmnation Entertainment, which is handling Looper‘s foreign distribution.
The time-traveling thriller directed and written by Rian Johnson‘s and – Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis grossed an estimated $2.7 million in its second round in the U.K. sufficient enough for a No. 2 market ranking. It finished at the 4th spot in its second Australia round when it registered an estimated $1.8 million at 217 situations.
After 18 frames on the foreign circuit, DreamWorks Animation‘s Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted continues to move on generating $23.3 million over the weekend at 2,453 locations in 29 markets. A No. 1 opening in Germany accounted for the higher gross this round, contributing $15.4 million from 740 venues.
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.
