U2 3D

Infobox_Film
name = U2 3D


director = Catherine Owens
Mark Pellington
producer = Jon Shapiro
Peter Shapiro
John Modell
Catherine Owens
starring = Bono
Adam Clayton
The Edge
Larry Mullen, Jr.
music = U2
cinematography = Peter Anderson (3-D)
Tom Krueger
editing = Olivier Wicki
distributor = National Geographic Entertainment
released = January 23, 2008 (limited)
February 22, 2008 (wide)
country = USA
runtime = 85 min.
language = English
budget = $15 millioncite news|title="U2 3D" Brings Hyperreal Arena Rock to the Multiplex |url=http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/commentary/listeningpost/2008/01/listeningpost_0121?currentPage=all |first=Eliot |last=Van Buskirk |publisher=Condé Nast Publications |work=Wired |date=2008-01-21 |accessdate=2008-04-20]
gross =
amg_id = 1:398855
imdb_id = 0892375
website = http://www.u23dmovie.com/Infobox movie certificates
Argentina = ATP
Australia = G
Canada = G
Ireland = G
Portugal = M/6
United_Kingdom = U
United_States = G

"U2 3D" is a 2008 concert film by Irish rock band U2, featuring footage from the band's 2006 Vertigo Tour. U2 art director Catherine Owens made her film directorial debut, with the help of co-director Mark Pellington, to create the first live-action film shot, produced, and screened exclusively with both 3-D and digital cinema technology.cite news |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961225.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 |title=ShoWest gets peek at 'U2' |first=David S. |last=Cohen |publisher=Reed Business Information |work=Variety |date=2007-03-15 |accessdate=2004-04-07] Following the 1988 rockumentary "Rattle and Hum", it became U2's second theatrically released film. Footage from nine concerts were shot, using as many as 18 cameras at a time, and were edited together to create an 85 minute film featuring a 14-song performance.

The project was created to experiment with a new type of 3-D film technology, released by 3ality Digital in 2003. The film was praised for its 3-D technology and innovation. After its preview screening at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the film held its premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and was later shown at over 600 theaters internationally following its wide release in February 2008. It peaked at number 19 and brought in US$17 million after the first seven months, surpassing the film's budget. The band stated that the film was not created to make a profit, but rather to share the new 3-D technology with a mainstream audience. It received mostly positive reviews, with many critics stating that viewing the 3-D effects in the film was actually better than going to a live concert.

Production

Background

In 2003, 3-D film production company 3ality Digital released a new type of 3-D filming technology, created by film producer and 3ality co-founder Steve Schklair. The technology used motion control photography and real-time image processing to create a realistic 3-D experience without subjecting the viewer to motion sickness, and was intended to be used as an inexpensive and effective way to film live events in 3-D, such as concerts and sporting events. With the help of 3ality co-founders David and John Modell, former owners of the Baltimore Ravens American football team, the 3-D technology was initially tested by shooting several American football games during the 2003 NFL season, including Super Bowl XXXVIII. The footage was shown to the National Football League, with the hopes of creating an NFL-based 3-D IMAX film. [cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D03E4D91338F93AA15752C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=A Film Team's Super Bowl Test |first=Seth |last=Schiesel |work=The New York Times |publisher=The New York Times Company |date=2004-01-29 |accessdate=2008-06-20] While waiting to hear from the league, 3ality executives Jon and Peter Shapiro proposed the idea of creating a 3-D concert film, after having produced the 2-D IMAX concert film "All Access" in 2001. While "All Access" featured performances of several artists, the 3ality team felt it would be best to create a 3-D film focused on one live act, and they chose their favorite live band, U2.

John Modell previously worked briefly with U2 in 1997, after he and his brother David became interested in featuring LED video technology at Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards. At the time, the first and only LED video screen in existence was being used by U2 on their PopMart Tour, so Modell toured with the band on and off for a period of six months to learn about the technology. During that time, he became friendly with the band's art director, Catherine Owens, who had worked with the band since their Zoo TV Tour in 1992. [cite news |url=http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=story&id=1061&articleid=VR1117965270&cs=1 |title=Dawn of a beautiful day for 3D? |first=David S. |last=Cohen |work=Variety |publisher=Reed Business Information |date=2007-05-18 |accessdate=2008-05-26]

Peter Shapiro contacted Owens in 2004 to propose the project to U2. Owens became interested in the project after viewing test footage of the 3-D technology, and expressed interested in directing, despite not having any previous filming experience. Before the band agreed, test footage was filmed with a single 3-D camera at one of U2's Vertigo Tour concerts in Anaheim, California.cite news |url=http://www.jambands.com/Features/content_2008_01_23.06.phtml |title=U2 3D: The Next Dimension, An Interview with Producer Pete Shapiro |first=Jefferson |last=Waful |date=2008-01-23 |accessdate=2008-02-08 |work=Jambands.com |publisher=Zenbu Media] As U2 had previously experimented with video technology in the past, the band was interested in the 3-D film project as a technological experiment, rather than to make a profit. Once the footage from Anaheim was shown to the U2 organization, the band agreed to participate in the project, and officially signed on in mid-2005.cite web| url=http://www.u2swisshome.com/shared/e/owicki.htm | title=Olivier Wicki: Interview |work=U2 Swiss Home |accessdate=2008-02-08]

Filming

The producers originally wanted to shoot the film in and around Los Angeles, California, where 3ality Digital's headquarters were located. However, Bono insisted on shooting the film at the concerts in Latin America because he felt that the passion of the audiences in those countries best resembled the passion of the audiences in the band's home of Ireland. U2 toured Latin America on the fourth leg of the Vertigo Tour in February and March 2006, with eight shows in five cities. [cite web |url=http://www.u2gigs.com/tour227.html |title=U2 Vertigo Tour 4th leg: Latin America |last=Mühlbradt |first=Matthias |coauthors=Stieglmayer, Martin |work=U2gigs.com |accessdate=2008-02-10] The fourth leg of the tour featured eight shows, all of which were filmed for the movie, minus the first show in Monterrey, Mexico. The film's production featured the first ever 3-D multicamera live shoot, and was shot using every digital 3-D camera and recording deck in existence at the time.cite press release |url=http://digitalproducer.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=139520 |title=Bluerock announces U2 3D Preview Screening at Cannes|date=2007-05-14|accessdate=2007-05-15|publisher=DMN Newswire]

The digital 3-D filming equipment consisted of nine custom-built stereo camera rigs designed by camera operator Vincent Pace and film director James Cameron, known as the Pace/Cameron Fusion System. [cite news |url=http://www.uemedia.net/CPC/digitalcinemamag/articles/article_16537.shtml |title=U2 in 3D |date=2007-09-25 |accessdate=2008-10-10 |work=DigitalCinemaMag |publisher=New Bay Media] Each of the nine camera rigs included two Sony CineAlta F950 cameras fitted with Carl Zeiss digital zoom lenses, which captured video onto HDCAM SR recording decks.cite press release |url=http://www.sony.co.uk/biz/view/ShowContent.action?site=biz_en_GB&contentId=1179907719529&sectiontype=S2S+News |title=U2 concerts captured in 3D with CineAlta |date=2007-06-11 |publisher=Sony |accessdate=2008-04-28] The two cameras on each rig acted as a pair of eyes to help create a 3-D effect in post-production. A total of 18 cameras were used in filming, each of which averaged a weight between 200–300 lbs (90–136 kg), requiring the cameras on each rig to be welded together.cite news |url=http://www.studiodaily.com/filmandvideo/currentissue/8968.html |title=Shooting a Concert Like No Other |first=Debra |last=Kaufman |work=Film & Video |publisher=Access Intelligence |date=2008-01-17 |accessdate=2008-09-26] The film's setup also included the first ever spydercam utilizing the Pace/Cameron Fusion System. [cite press release |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-04-2008/0004749034&EDATE= |title=Hannah Montana Gets Added Dimension with the PACE/Cameron Fusion System |date=2008-02-04 |accessdate=2008-10-10 |publisher=PR Newswire] Five operators were required to work on each rig at a time to ensure that the focus on both cameras on each setup were synchronized at all times. During the filming period, one of the cameras was destroyed by water, and the remainder of the cameras were later waterproofed. Since Owens had no previous filming experience, she was involved with every aspect of the film except for the live shoots, which were directed by Mark Pellington, who had previously directed a video for U2's song "One."cite news |url=http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/?p=3577 |title=U2 Breaks the Rules In 3-D, New Software for Hard Rock |first=Alex Ben |last=Block |date=2008-01-25 |accessdate=2008-05-05 |work=Hollywood Today]

The crew only had two days to set up the filming equipment before each concert, which required running fiber optic cables and hooking up an electrical generator to supply power at each venue. The concerts were filmed without storyboards or shooting scripts to capture realistic, unstaged footage of the band's performances. The shoots were clearly planned so that the filming would not interfere with the band's performance or the audience's view. To avoid capturing footage of other camera rigs, the crew would switch off each night filming either left-to-right or right-to-left, or film entirely from the back of the stage. Since several different shows would be edited together to create one performance, the band was required to wear the same clothes each night to eliminate continuity errors in the final cut of the film.cite web |url=http://www.movies.ie/html/article.aspx?articleid=1895 |title=Interview with 'U2 3D' director Catherine Owens |work=Movies.ie |accessdate=2008-02-20] Lighting for the shoots involved the same lighting used at all the regular concerts, except for the additional spotlights focused on the audience. [cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2008/09/my-continuing-e.html |title=Bono's hand almost poked out my eye: My continuing education in 3-D |first=Patrick |last=Goldstein |date=2008-09-24 |accessdate=2008-09-25 |work=Los Angeles Times |publisher=Tribune Company] The audio for U2's performances was recorded using microphones placed on the main stage, and around the two B-stages, where the band would perform during several songs. To record the audience, additional microphones were placed in various locations depending on the type of venue in which the band was performing. Originally, 96 different audio channels were used for recording the band's music. The audience microphones that were added extended the total to 110 channels.cite news |url=http://mixonline.com/post/features/audio_article_7/ |title=U2 3D: Reality Rock 'n' Roll |publisher=Penton Media |work=Mix |first=Matt |last=Hurwitz |date=2008-03-01 |accessdate=2008-04-27 |page=1]

Shooting began in February 2006 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, where two shows were filmed exclusively to capture medium shots. At the following two shows, at Estádio do Morumbi in São Paulo, Brazil, two cameras setups were used to capture long shots. The band's next concert, which was held at Estadio Nacional de Chile in Santiago, Chile, featured only a single overhead camera setup, used to capture footage of drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. Prior to U2's two concerts in Buenos Aires, the band performed a 10-song set at River Plate Stadium with no audience to capture close-up shots using a wide-angle lens, which Owens dubbed as the "phantom shoot".cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0222/catherineowensinterview.html |title=Catherine Owens (U23D director) interview |publisher=Radio Telefís Éireann |work=RTÉ.ie Entertainment |date=2008-02-22 |accessdate=2008-04-27] [Cite news |url=http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/jonathan_takiff/20080123_Jonathan_Takiff__U2_3D_may_send_TV_viewers_to_new_sets.html |title='U2 3D' may send TV viewers to new sets |first=Jonathan |last=Takiff |publisher=Philadelphia Media Holdings |work=Philadelphia Daily News |date=2008-01-23 |accessdate=2008-02-10] During the following two nights in Buenos Aires, the concerts were filmed with all nine pairs of cameras, capturing shots of the band from the B-stages. The Buenos Aires shoot was the largest of the project, and required a crew of 140 people.

In March 2006, the Vertigo Tour concerts were postponed after The Edge's daughter became ill. [cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,18411955-10431,00.html |title=Bono lays low |first=Kathy |last=McCabe |work=The Courier-Mail |publisher=Queensland Newspapers |date=2006-03-10 |accessdate=2008-09-21] During the interim period, the footage from the seven filmed shows were put together, causing the crew to realize that several elements of the film were still needed, such as shots of the stage's video screen and the concert audience. When the band resumed their tour on its fifth leg in November 2006, an additional two shows were filmed in Melbourne, Australia at the Telstra Dome. Two camera setups were used for the final shoot, including a twin-camera system that was used at the previous shows, and a single CineAlta camera with a steadicam, used to capture close-ups of the band. Because the ladder setup used only a single camera, its footage was filmed in 2-D and would later be converted into 3-D during post production.cite news |url=http://www.cinematographer.org.au/freestyler/gui/files/06_WA_FocalPoint_12_Dec.pdf |title=My Long Weekend in Melbourne |first=Rusty |last=Geller |work=Focal Point |publisher=Australian Cinematographers Society |date=December 2006 |format=PDF |pages=8–11]

Editing

Editor Olivier Wicki was chosen to work on the post-production of the film, after previously working on U2's "Original of the Species" music video. Wicki worked closely with director Catherine Owens during the post-production process, developing ideas for each track before editing the footage. Over 100 hours of footage was filmed featuring performances of 26 different songs. To make the film appealing to a mainstream audience, Owens decided that only 14–15 songs out of 26 would appear in the final cut, most of which would be U2's most popular songs. When selecting songs for the film, the crew had to ensure that the performances of each track fit in with one another. For example, the band wanted their performances of "Mysterious Ways" and "Until the End of the World" to be included, however they were left out since they felt that those songs were out of place with the rest of the film.cite news |url=http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/culture/story.html?id=396cc5b7-0419-4608-9ea0-290aaa7c333d&k=89101# |title=U2 film two years in making |first=Sandra |last=Sperounes |publisher=Canwest |work=Edmonton Journal |date=2008-04-23 |accessdate=2008-04-28]

Eventually, 14 songs were chosen to be in the final cut, and the footage was edited in 2-D using Avid systems, over a period of eight months in New York City.cite press release |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS152328+17-Jan-2008+BW20080117?sp=true |title=2008 Sundance Film Festival to Feature Works of Several Avid Customers |date=2008-01-17 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=Business Wire] cite press release |url=http://www.dexigner.com/design_news/bluerock-editor-cuts-u2-3d.html |title=Bluerock Editor Cuts U2 3D |date=2008-01-22 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=Dexinger] Video post-production continued in Burbank, California at 3ality Digital's 20,000 square foot (1900 square metre) 3-D production facility, which had just recently opened prior to the completion of the filming. Wicki worked with 3ality Digital to create the film's 3-D and CGI effects. Footage was edited into 3-D using software that was created by developers at the same time the film was being shot. Many of the scenes featuring several band members were created by layering several frames of footage on top of one another, with as many as five frames layered together at a time. Because the film was shot in a super image resolution of high-definition video, each frame of the film used nearly 20 megabytes of data, and the entire film used almost a petabyte (10¹⁵ bytes) of data on the 3ality's servers. The 3-D editing process ended up taking much longer than Owens had expected, and caused the film to go over budget. The entire video editing process took 17 months, and the final film was cut to a length of 85 minutes—seven minutes short of its originally announced run time of 92 minutes.cite news |url=http://www.joblo.com/interview-u2-3d-director |first=Jenny |last=Karakaya |title=INT: U2 3D director |date=2007-05-30|accessdate=2007-10-15|publisher=JoBlo.com]

Audio editor Carl Glanville worked on the film's soundtrack with recordist Robbie Adams at Effanel Music in New York City. Using the video footage compiled into files by Wicki, which were then given to Glanville to compile the soundtrack for the film. Because of the nature of the shoots, the audio post-production proved to be very difficult for both Adams and Glanville. While editors typically select the best performance of each song when editing live concert footage, this was not possible since footage from only one to two cameras angles were captured at most of the shows. In addition, the lyrics and music from the songs performances each night differed slightly, and film's edited video footage featured 10- to 20-second-long shots, as opposed to quicker cuts usually found in concert films. All audio and video footage used in the film was recorded live by the band in concert, and no overdubbing was used in post-production. Editing began with Adams constructing playlists of the recordings using Pro Tools software, while Glanville worked on the audio mixing. The video footage was compiled onto QuickTime and Open Media Framework files, which Glanville used to edit synchronize footage together. To avoid lip sync and instrumental sync issues, the editors had to use the exact audio that was recorded during each shot. Mixing the vocals required Glanville to layer the audio recorded from the stage microphones with the audience microphones, and add a short delay in between the two to compensate for any echos or delays that occurred in the venue.cite news |url=http://mixonline.com/post/features/audio_article_7/index1.html |title=U2 3D: Reality Rock 'n' Roll |publisher=Penton Media |work=Mix |first=Matt |last=Hurwitz |date=2008-03-01 |accessdate=2008-04-27 |page=2]

Distribution

Screenings and releases

Before the film's release, director Catherine Owens decided to release this film only in a digital 3-D format, which would be screened only in 3D theatres. Therefore polarized 3D glasses were required to view the film.cite news|url=http://www.gizmag.com/u2-stereoscopic-3d-concert/8534/|title=U2 in first ever 3D concert beamed live to a cinema near you|date=2007-12-27|accessdate=2008-01-04|work=Gizmag] The film was screened only in digital cinemas equipped with IMAX 3D or Real D Cinema technology, both of which use different types of polarized glasses. The IMAX 3D version of the film required glasses with one lens polarized horizontally and one polarized vertically, while the Real D Cinema version required glasses with two circularly polarized lenses. According to producer John Modell, the IMAX version of the film features a "more immersive experience", while the Real D version features more vivid colors. Only theatrical rights to the film were released, and 3ality Digital CEO Sandy Climan stated that additional rights for the the film will be released once the technology used to screen the film in theaters becomes available to home video.cite news |url=http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=Cannes2007&jump=story&id=1061&articleid=VR1117965401 |title=U2 keeps sales in perspective |first=Anne |last=Thompson |work=Variety |publisher=Reed Business Information |date=2007-05-20 |accessdate=2008-05-28]

The first screening of the film took place at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2007.cite news |url=http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=Cannes2007&jump=review&reviewid=VE1117933685 |title=U2 3D - Cannes Film Festival Review |first=Justin |last=Chang |publisher=Reed Business Information|work=Variety |date=2007-05-19 |accessdate=2007-05-19] Prior to the film's screening, U2 performed "Vertigo" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" in a brief, two-song set on the steps of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. [cite web |url=http://www.u2gigs.com/show1521.html |title=2007-05-20: Palais des Festival - Cannes, France |accessdate=2008-05-19 |work=U2gigs.com |author= Mühlbradt, Matthias; Stieglmayer, Martin] After the band's performance, the film was shown inside the Palais des Festivals at the festival's midnight screening. At the time, the 3-D post-production process was not fully completed, therefore a shortened version of the film was screened, simply to promote the 3-D medium at the festival. The screened version of the film ran at a length of 56 minutes, and featured nine of the final film's 14 songs: "Vertigo", "Beautiful Day", "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own", "Love and Peace or Else", "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Bullet the Blue Sky," "Miss Sarajevo," "The Fly", and "With or Without You". [cite news |url=http://www.u2.com/news/index.php?mode=full&news_id=2129| title=Beautiful Night in 3D |format=subscription required |publisher=U2.com |date=2007-05-20 |accessdate=2008-05-06]

The complete film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in the Ellen Eccles Theatre on January 19, 2008. Approximately 1,200 people attended the premiere, which ended with a standing ovation from the entire audience. [cite web |url=http://blog.u23dmovie.com/blog/2008/01/u2-3d-premieres-at-sundance.html |title=U2 3D Premieres at Sundance |author=Souris |work=U2 3D Live: The Official Blog for U2 3D, The Movie |date=2008-01-20 |accessdate=2008-02-08 |publisher=National Geographic Society] After the world premiere, the film's initial limited release was on January 23, 2008, where it was screened in 61 IMAX theaters in the United States and Canada.cite web| url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/U2N3D.php |title=U2 3D |publisher=Nash Information Services |work=The Numbers |accessdate=2008-04-27] The wide release was originally scheduled for February 15 2008, but it was later pushed back one week after Walt Disney Pictures decided to extend its release of "", another 3-D concert film.cite news |url=http://www.spokane7.com/music/stories/?ID=8076 |title='U2 3D' great while it lasted |first=Isamu |last=Jordan |work=The Spokesman-Review |publisher=Cowles Publishing Company |date=2008-02-29 |accessdate=2008-04-21] About one month later, the film got its wide release on February 22, 2008, and was distributed internationally to over 600 theaters. Several months after the wide release, the film was screened in its entirety at the SIGGRAPH 2008 conference, where Catherine Owens was chosen as one of the conference's featured speakers. [Cite web |url=http://reports.siggraph.org/s2008/Sessions/cowens.html |title=Catherine Owens - Giving Technology Emotion: From the Artist's Mind to 'U2 3D' |first=Anne |last=Hall |date=2008-08-12 |accessdate=2008-08-26 |publisher=ACM SIGGRAPH]

Marketing

In March 2007, the film's first trailer was released and screened in 3-D theaters before showings of "Meet the Robinsons", the only other 3-D film released in theaters in early 2007.cite press release |url=http://www.u2.com/highlights/?hid=359|title=Sneak Preview - U23D |publisher=U2.com |accessdate=2004-04-07] The trailer featured clips from "Vertigo" and "The Fly," and was edited by creative director John Leamy, who also served as creative director for U2's "Original of the Species" music video. Leamy also created the logo and opening sequence for "U2 3D", as well as the theatrical poster, which won the award for best poster art at the Giant Screen Cinema Association's annual international conference in 2008. [cite press release |url=http://www.medianewsline.com/news/118/ARTICLE/2930/2008-09-27.html |title=National Geographic Cinema Ventures Bags 4 GSCA Awards |publisher=Max Digital Media Newswire |date=2008-09-27 |accessdate=2008-10-06]

The film was originally scheduled to be released in the third quarter of 2007, but its release was pushed back after failing to find a distributor. In October 2007, the National Geographic Society announced the creation of National Geographic Entertainment, a new unit within the society featuring various entertainment divisions. [Cite press release |url=http://press.nationalgeographic.com/pressroom/index.jsp?pageID=pressReleases_detail&siteID=1&cid=1193856787689 |title=National Geographic Creates Entertainment Unit |date=2007-10-31 |accessdate=2008-02-10 |publisher=National Geographic Society] Following the announcement of the new unit, National Geographic announced that "U2 3D" would be the first film released through the new division, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, and will be released in January 2008.cite press release |url=http://press.nationalgeographic.com/pressroom/index.jsp?pageID=pressReleases_detail&siteID=1&cid=1193673790308|title=National Geographic Cinema Ventures to Release 3ality Digital's 'U2 3D'|publisher=National Geographic Society |accessdate=2007-10-30 |date=2007-10-29] John M. Fahey, Jr., CEO of the National Geographic Society, stated that "U2 3D" was chosen as the division's first release because they felt that U2 are "a band of the world" and "world music is something the Geographic as an institution is really interested in." [cite web |author=Souris |url=http://blog.u23dmovie.com/blog/2008/02/interview-john-fahey-ceo-of-na.html |title=Interview: John Fahey, CEO of National Geographic |date=2008-02-01 |publisher=National Geographic Society |work=U2 3D Live: The Official Blog for U2 3D, The Movie |accessdate=2008-02-10] National Geographic chose electronics retailer Best Buy as the film's sponsor, and select members of Best Buy's Reward Zone loyalty program were offered free passes to screenings of the film before its wide release.cite press release |url=http://press.nationalgeographic.com/pressroom/index.jsp?pageID=pressReleases_detail&siteID=1&cid=1199893175288 |title=National Geographic Entertainment Names Best Buy as Exclusive Consumer Electronics Presenting Sponsor for U2 3D Theatrical Release in U.S. |publisher=National Geographic Society |date=2008-01-08 |accessdate=2008-02-10] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film was released through Revolver Entertainment in addition to National Geographic Entertainment. [cite press release |url=http://www.u23d.co.uk/pdf/u23d.pdf |format=PDF |title=U2 3D |publisher=Revolver Entertainment and National Geographic Entertainment |accessdate=2008-02-12]

To advertise the film, National Geographic created two official websites: one for the film's release in the United States and one for the film's release in the United Kingdom and Ireland. [cite press release |url=http://www.u2.com/highlights/index.php?hid=429 |title='U23D' in 2008 |publisher=U2.com |accessdate=2008-05-18] Both sites featured the film's trailer, information about the film, movie showtimes, and a web widget for users to post on social networking websites. In January 2008, an official blog for the film was created, called "U2 3D Live", featuring news and other updates about the film. [cite web |url=http://blog.u23dmovie.com/blog/2008/01/hello-hello.html |title=Hello, hello! |author=Souris |publisher=National Geographic Society |work=U2 3D Live: The Official Blog for U2 3D, The Movie |date=2008-01-08 |accessdate=2008-02-18] Aside from the internet, the film was also promoted through television advertisements, [cite web |url=http://blog.u23dmovie.com/blog/2008/02/u2-3d-30second-spot.html |title=U2 3D: 30-Second Spot |author=Souris |work=U2 3D Live: The Official Blog for U2 3D, The Movie |date=2008-02-15 |accessdate=2008-02-19 |publisher=National Geographic Society] including one on a JumboTron in Times Square, [cite web |url=http://blog.u23dmovie.com/blog/2008/02/u2-3d-in-times-square-now.html |title=U2 3D in Times Square Now! |author=Souris |work=U2 3D Live: The Official Blog for "U2 3D", The Movie |date=2008-02-07 |accessdate=2008-02-10 |publisher=National Geographic Society] and as a sponsor on NASCAR's #19 Best Buy Dodge stock car, driven by Elliott Sadler. [cite press release|url=http://www.evernhammotorsports.com/main.cfm?pagename=article&articleId=11121 |title=Team 19 Best Buy Dodge California Speedway Preview - Sadler Returns To Place of Last Victory |work=News Center |date=2008-02-19 |accessdate=2008-05-01 |publisher=Gillett Evernham Motorsports]

Reception

Box office performance

"U2 3D" began its limited release in January 2008 in 61 theaters in the United States. The film took in US$964,315 during its opening weekend where it came in at number 20 in the box office, grossing over $15,000 at each theater. Once the film got its wide release on February 22, 2008, it was shown in 686 theaters, and was ranked number 19 in the U.S. box office. The first week of the film's wide release was the both highest grossing week of its theatrical run, taking in $1,026,121, grossing approximately $1,500 per theater. Three weeks after its wide release, "U2 3D" had been pulled from most theaters, playing in less than 100 theaters internationally. At the time film had only grossed $6.6 million, while Disney's "" 3-D concert film, still playing in many theaters since its February 1 release, had brought in over $60 million.

While the film's overall box office figures were low when compared with mainstream cinema, "U2 3D" was very successful for its genre and set several box office records. Since its release, "U2 3D" became the 11th highest grossing concert film of all time, two spots below U2's 1988 rockumentary, "Rattle and Hum", [cite web |url=http://www.the-numbers.com/market/Genres/Concert.php |title=Box Office History for Genre - Concert/Performance |work=The Numbers |publisher=Nash Information Services |accessdate=2008-06-13] as well as the highest grossing documentary film of 2008. [cite news |url=http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/10/religulous-7192.html |title=Can 'Religulous' win an Oscar for Emmy's biggest loser Bill Maher? |first=Tom |last=O'Neil |work=Los Angeles Times |publisher=Tribune Company |date=2008-10-07 |accessdate=2008-10-07] It also set a record in Ireland after having the highest screen average of any film playing during its opening weekend, and took in almost €90,000 after playing in eight theaters during its first three days. [cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0226/u2.html |title=U23D breaks box office records |date=2008-02-26 |accessdate=2008-05-20 |work=RTÉ.ie Entertainment |publisher=Radio Telefís Éireann] The film's distributors have stated that there is no limit to the length of the film's run, as it will be determined by its box office business. Because of this, the film is expected to be shown in theaters for several years, and it may return to IMAX theaters in which it was previously shown.cite news |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ifc34e9623716ac94a76dd14906340b5d |format=fee required
title='U2 3D' hopes to ride wave |first=Carolyn |last=Giardina |date=2008-01-24 |accessdate=2008-04-21 |publisher=Nielsen Company|work=The Hollywood Reporter]

Critical response

The film received overwhelmingly positive feedback from critics, and currently holds 92% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, with 78 positive reviews out of a total 85. [cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/u2_3d/ |title=U2 3D (2008) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2008-10-01] It received an average critic score of 83% from review aggregator Metacritic out of 19 total reviews, six of which gave the film a perfect score of 100. [cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/u23d |title=U2 3D |work=Metacritic |accessdate=2008-05-19] The film began receiving positive reviews following its 56-minute premiere at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, while the final 85-minute cut of the film was still months away from completion.cite news |title=Even better than the real thing |url=http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/215667 |first=Peter |last=Howell |work=Toronto Star |publisher=Torstar |date=2007-05-19 |accessdate=2008-05-19] Critics from various publications, including "The Independent",cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/u2-go-3d-and-its-even-better-than-the-real-thing-1257614.html |title=U2 go 3D and it's even better than the real thing |first=Fergus |last=Black |work=The Independent |publisher=Independent News & Media |date=2008-01-04 |accessdate=2008-05-19] "News & Review",cite news |title=Even better than the real thing |url=http://www.newsreview.com/reno/Content?oid=629318 |first=Bob |last=Grimm |work=News & Review |publisher=Chico Community Publishing |date=2008-02-28 |accessdate=2008-05-19] "The New Zealand Herald",cite news |url=http://blogs.nzherald.co.nz/blog/griffins-tech-blog/2008/4/18/u2-3d-even-better-real-thingalmost/ |title=U2 3D even better than the real thing...almost |first=Peter |last=Griffin |work=The New Zealand Herald |publisher=APN News & Media |date=2008-04-18 |accessdate=2008-05-19] "Toronto Star", and "USA Today"cite news |title='U2 3D': Lifelike rattle and hum |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2008-01-22-U2-3D_N.htm |first=Edna |last=Gundersen |work=USA Today |publisher=Gannett Company |accessdate=2008-05-19] felt that the film's 3-D experience created an environment that felt more real than being at an actual U2 concert by stating that it was "even better than the real thing", a reference to U2's song of the same name. Reviews by "The Capital Times", [cite news |url=http://www.captimes.co.nz/rev/26/n/1788/U2in3D.boss |title=U2 in 3D |first=Dan |last=Slevin |work=The Capital Times |publisher=Capital Newspapers |date=2008-05-23 |accessdate=2008-06-13] "Rolling Stone", [cite news |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/01/07/u2-3d-premieres-at-new-york-screening-everybody-besides-jay-z-impressed/
title='U2 3D' Premieres at New York Screening; Everybody Besides Jay-Z Impressed |first=Andy |last=Greene |work=Rolling Stone |publisher=Wenner Media |date=2008-01-07 |accessdate=2008-06-13] and "Total Film" [cite news |url=http://www.totalfilm.com/cinema_reviews/u2_3d |title=U2 3D – Film Review |work=Total Film |publisher=Future plc |first=Neil |last=Smith| accessdate=2008-06-13] stated the film seemed appealing to both fan and non-fans of U2, just as the filmmakers had originally intended. The film's usage of evolutionary technology provoked Catherine Owens to be chosen as one of the featured guest speakers at the SIGGRAPH 2008 conference, which took place several months after the film's initial release. [Cite press release |url=http://www.siggraph.org/s2008/media/releases/release10.php |title='U2 3D' Film Director Selected as SIGGRAPH 2008 Featured Speaker |date=2008-05-20 |publisher=ACM SIGGRAPH |accessdate=2008-08-26] The film also won a 2008 Achievement Award from the Giant Screen Cinema Association for "Best Film Produced Non-Exclusively for the Giant Screen". [cite press release|url=http://www.giantscreencinema.com/News/tabid/70/ctl/ViewItem/mid/528/ItemId/333/Default.aspx |title=GSCA Presents Its 2008 Achievement Awards |publisher=Giant Screen Cinema Association |date=2008-09-15 |accessdate=2008-09-30]

Despite the many positive reviews, several critics were not satisfied with the film. The "San Francisco Chronicle" felt seeing the band on the big screen was "more distracting than illuminating", [cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/23/DDDKUH3V4.DTL&type=movies |title=Review: U2 larger than life in 3-D documentary |first=Joel |last=Selvin |publisher=Hearst Corporation |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2008-01-23 |accessdate=2008-06-11] and "The Daily Telegraph" stated "the cameras, not the band, are doing all the work". [cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/arts/2008/02/22/bframbo122.xml |title=Film reviews: Rambo, U2 3D and more |work=The Daily Telegraph |publisher=Telegraph Media Group |date=2008-02-22 |accessdate=2008-06-11] "Time Out London" criticized Bono's political statements in the film, stating he "should refrain from ramming his preachy political meanderings down our throats and let the music do the talking". [cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/85087/u2-3d.html |title=U2 3D |first=Derek |last=Adams |work=Time Out London |publisher=Time Out Group |date=2008-02-20 |accessdate=2008-06-11] One of the film's lowest ratings came from "The Guardian", which gave a rating of one out of five stars, claiming that U2 appeared to be "four conceited billionaires who are further up themselves than ever". [cite web |url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,2258717,00.html |title=U2 3D |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian Media Group |first=Peter |last=Bradshaw |date=2008-02-22 |accessdate=2008-06-11]

Setlist

All titles written by U2, except "Miss Sarajevo", written by Brian Eno, Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, and Larry Mullen, Jr.

# "Vertigo"
# "Beautiful Day"
# "New Year's Day"
# "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own"
# "Love and Peace or Else"
# "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
# "Bullet the Blue Sky"
# "Miss Sarajevo" / Reading of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
# "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
# "Where the Streets Have No Name"
# "One"

;Encore

12. "The Fly"
13. "With or Without You"

;End credits

14. "Yahweh"cite press release|url=http://press:[e-mail]/pressroom/film_u23d/PRESS_NOTES_U23D.doc |title=U2 3D Production notes |publisher=National Geographic Society |date=2008-01-16 |accessdate=2008-02-08 |format=DOC]

References

External links

* [http://www.u23dmovie.com Official "U2 3D" website] (USA)
* [http://www.u23d.co.uk Official "U2 3D" website] (UK)
* [http://blog.u23dmovie.com/blog/ U2 3D Live: The Official Blog for "U2 3D", The Movie]
* [http://www.3alitydigital.com/ 3ality Digital]