Kaiju means “giant monster” in Japanese, and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is hoping the term will translate to monster box office at its new Godzilla-themed movie house, the Alamo Drafthouse Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California. “This is just the beginning,” says Alamo, announcing a partnership with Toho International, the Los Angeles-based subsidiary of the fabled Tokyo production company that is home to the reptilian heavyweight and his pals Mothra, Rodan and Megalon (as well as Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai”). Alamo promises “exclusive merch, screenings and other surprises” tied to Toho’s “universe of city-stomping beasts.” Read more

YouTube Shorts is getting a free Veo 3 upgrade that will let creators generate high-quality AI video clips using text prompts. The news was announced by YouTube CEO Neal Mohan at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where it was positioned as a means for brands to transform how advertisements are produced. Veo 3 functionality will be integrated “later this summer,” according to Mohan. The Google DeepMind video generation model has been made available for use in YouTube Shorts starting with Veo 2. With Veo 3, the platform gets audio capability and what Mohan describes as “vastly improved” video quality. Read more

The redesigned Firefly AI app Adobe released in April with third-party model support is now available on iOS and Android. Text-to-video and background editing are among the features included in the new mobile package, which Adobe claims will help users capture inspiration as it strikes with “the freedom to generate images and videos wherever you are.” Adobe says those of all skill levels will be able to use the app, which was designed “to complement the ways we already interact with our phones.” The company is also rolling out its AI-powered online moodboard creator — Firefly Boards — in public beta, now with video functionality. Read more

Meta Platforms has debuted a new “performance AI” smart glasses line with Oakley, the sports brand owned by global eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica. The move builds on Meta’s existing partnership with Ray-Ban, another EL brand. Starting at $400, the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses are targeting athletes with 3K video recording for POV capture — kind of like the GoPro of eyewear. Promising eight hours of battery life, the glasses also play music and provide notifications. A limited-edition $400 version of the Oakley Meta HSTN is available for preorder on July 11 with the rest of the collection dropping “later this summer.” Read more

Avid is deploying its popular Media Composer and Avid NEXIS tools at Amazon MGM Studios via the cloud using Amazon Web Services (AWS). The integration will enable the studio’s customers to use Avid’s editing and storage solutions via the cloud in a way that fits their specific production needs. Avid has been collaborating with Amazon MGM Studios for the past three years, and at the NAB 2025 show expanded the partnership to include the Avid on AWS production framework, offering studios, broadcasters, and streaming services cloud access to Avid’s post-production solutions on AWS. Read more