International
The Dark Knight close to top foreign b-o
MUMBAI: Warner Bros.‘ The Dark Knight Rises is expected to easily top the foreign box office chart despite the mishap by way of in-theatre shooting in Aurora in Colorado that left at least a dozen dead and a dozen more injured.
Neither the studio nor Rentrak are officially reporting worldwide grosses for the weekend out of respect for the victims, but insiders say that the last installment of Batman earned at least $70 million-plus from nine of the 17 countries where it released over the weekend. Official number are expected to be released on Monday.
The biggest market for Dark Knight Rises was the U.K., where the film grossed at least $16.1 million till Saturday with another $6 million i likely on Sunday. Australia came up with a weekend tally of $15.2 million, while South Korea looks to generate $15 million.
Spain is estimated to come up with another $4 million, with Hong Kong contributing $3 million. Dark Knight Rises opens in Germany, France and Japan this coming week.
In other weekend action, 20th Century Fox‘s Ice Age: Continental Drift drew $58.8 million on the weekend at 13,825 locations in 67 markets. The total for the fourth title in the Ice Age animation franchise stands at $442.7 million.
DreamWorks Animation and Paramount‘s Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted, which has been playing overseas since 6 June, has grossed an offshore total of $282.5 million after a $6.1 million weekend at 4,977 venues in 44 countries. A No. 2 Netherlands opening delivered $2.7 million (including previews) from 205 situations
Paramount‘s The Dictator crossed the $100 million mark over the weekend, thanks to a $2.6 million weekend at 1,388 sites in 38 countries. The Sacha Baron Cohen comedy opens in the Philippines and Vietnam this week.
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.
