International
The Avengers likely to gross $ 1 billion by Sunday
MUMBAI: Disney‘s The Avengers is expected to cross the $800 million mark Thursday and might gross $1 billion globally by Sunday or early next week. It is said that if it reaches the milestone on Sunday, its 19th day in release, it will be on par with Avatar and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in terms of record-breaking speed.
Through Wednesday, the film directed by Joss Whedon had grossed $775.4 million worldwide, including a Wednesday take of $31.2 million. Last weekend, it scored the biggest domestic debut of all time with an intake of $207.4 million.
This weekend Avengers could well gross $100 million domestically and $100 million overseas. But those numbers could come in lower if the drop is bigger than expected.
The only new wide release of the weekend is Tim Burton‘s campy adaptation of the 1966-71 daytime soap Dark Shadows.The film that has Johnny Depp in the lead as a vampire is likely to open between the $35 million to $40 million range domestically. It also opens in 42 markets overseas, where Depp is a huge international star.
Dark Shadows could beat Avengers in certain territories but might not be able to match Avengers‘ overall weekend international gross. Burton‘s film got off to a strong start Wednesday in France, grossing roughly $770,000 to beat Avengers on its third Wednesday.
Made at a cost of $100 million, Dark Shadows should go well among women though interest has picked up among men in recent days.
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.
