International
Taken 2 is still no. 1 in second consecutive week
MUMBAI: For the second week in succession, Taken 2, starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen, has taken the top foreign box office ranking with an intake of $41 million from more than 50 foreign markets. Currently, its overseas gross total stands at $132.8 million.
The action sequel starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen remained the U.K.‘s No. 1 title ($6 million from 779 locations for a local intake of $23.4 million) in its second market round and drew $4 million in its second China round at 1,500 situations for a cume of $10.8 million. The film‘s second Australia session grossed $3.7 million at 367 spots, lifting the market cume to $13.7 million. Its Italy open scored $1.25 million at 267 situations.
Twentieth Century Fox is distributing the film in 35 markets (earning $28.5 million from 6,314 spots) while the film‘s co-producer, Luc Besson‘s Europa Corp, is handling the rest of the world.
Frankenweenie, director-co-producer-co-scripter Tim Burton‘s comedy animation with horror overtones, that grossed $22 million over two frames in the U.S. and Canada, opened offshore in nine markets this round, collecting $4.9 million on the weekend. Early offshore cume for the Disney release stands at $5.3 million.
The weekend‘s biggest single-market smash by far was Warner Bros. Espana‘s release in Spain of Lo Impossible (The Impossible), director Juan Antonio Bayona‘s action adventure co-starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor and a nasty Indian Ocean tsunami.
The film‘s opening round drew $13.4 million (including previews) from 638 screens, easily the market‘s No. 1 title. Warner‘s said it may be Spain‘s biggest three-day and four-day opener of all time.
Opening No. 2 in France ($2.8 million at 348 spots) was Universal‘s Ted that grossed $13.9 million on the weekend at 2,900 play dates in 44 markets.
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.
