A new study by Roku and National Research Group found that streaming may be a more effective marketing tool for theatrical exhibition than social media or television. According to the research, 44 percent of what the survey categorizes as “moviegoing streamers” claim a trailer on a streaming service would increase their interest in seeing a film in a theater while 43 percent indicate the same of trailers on social media. These numbers slightly edged out the 41 percent who say ads on broadcast or cable TV would encourage them to visit a theater. However, it’s worth noting that the survey also suggests 72 percent pay more attention to TV commercials than ads on social platforms. Read more

OpenAI is previewing a new series of AI models that can reason and correct complex coding mistakes, providing a more efficient solution for developers. Powered by OpenAI o1, the new models are “designed to spend more time thinking before they respond, much like a person would,” and as a result can “solve harder problems than previous models in science, coding, and math,” OpenAI claims, noting that “through training, they learn to refine their thinking process, try different strategies, and recognize their mistakes.” The first model in the series is being released in preview in OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT and in the company’s API. Read more

Backed by Alibaba and Tencent, Chinese startup MiniMax has launched a new text-to-video model called Hailuo AI that is quickly gaining traction on social media based on its impressive capabilities, with comments ranging from “fantastical” to “hyper-realistic.” The free, web-based tool has already triggered videos that have gone viral, despite the current limitation of only 6-second clips. However, an image-to-video model is reportedly coming soon, in addition to a version 2 that promises longer video duration and improved motion. Unlike the Jimeng AI text-to-video model that was issued by ByteDance last month, the MiniMax technology is available outside of China. Read more

Los Angeles-based production company Pressman Film is turning to crowdfunding to finance its latest slate. The indie studio behind films including “American Psycho,” “Wall Street” and “The Crow” is targeting $1.5 million in the first tranche, hosted by investment firm Republic. As the movie industry continues to regain its footing following the impact of COVID-19 and the Hollywood strikes, companies continue to seek innovative ways to move forward. “Get in on the ground floor of the filmmaking process, get exclusive insider perks, and share in the returns,” explains Republic’s website. Minimum buy-in is $200. Read more

Adobe is showcasing upcoming generative AI video tools that build on the Firefly video model the software giant announced in April. The offerings include a text-to-video feature and one that generates video from pictures. Each outputs clips of up to five seconds. Adobe has developed Firefly as the generative component of the AI integration it is rolling out across its Adobe’s Creative Cloud applications, which previously focused on editing and now, thanks to gen AI, incorporate creation. Adobe wasn’t a first-mover in the space, but its percolating effort has been received enthusiastically. Read more