International
With no fight Journey 2 stands high
MUMBAI: Devoid of any serious competition, Warner Bros.’ Journey 2: The Mysterious Island maintained its No. 1 box office position for the third consecutive weekend by collecting $18.5 million from 8,500 screens in 48 offshore territories.
A No. 1 opening in Italy, the film contributed $2.4 million from 418 screens and edged out French comedy blockbuster Intouchables that also made its debut in the market. The New Line/Walden Media family adventure has till yet grossed $159.2 million, $16.2 million more than foreign gross of the film’s 2008 predecessor Journey To The Center of the Earth.
Foreign grosses for best-picture nominees at the Oscar like The Artist ($48 million versus $29 million domestic); The Help ($42 million versus $169.7 million domestic); The Tree of Life ($49 million versus $13.3 million domestic); Midnight in Paris ($98 million versus $56.5 million domestic); War Horse ($62.7 million versus $79 million domestic); Hugo ($46 million of which Paramount-handled markets account for $39.9 million, versus $69.4 million domestic); Moneyball ($34 million versus $75.6 million domestic); The Descendants ($77.7 million versus $79 million domestic); and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close ($8.5 million versus $31.2 million domestic).
No.2 on the weekend was Safe House, Universal’s thriller starring Denzel Washington, opened in 11 territories and roped in $13.6 million on the weekend overall from 3,389 sites in 46 markets. Standing out was the film’s No. 3 bow in the U.K., which drew $3.6 million from 425 locations. Openings in Italy, Korea, Mexico, Panama and Indonesia are on tap 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.
