| Iron Maiden: Flight 666 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Scot McFadyen Sam Dunn |
| Written by | Scot McFadyen Sam Dunn |
| Produced by | Scot McFadyen Sam Dunn |
| Starring | Iron Maiden |
| Narrated by | Sam Dunn |
| Cinematography | Martin Hawkes |
| Edited by | Lisa Grootenboer Wendy Hallam Martin Mike Munn |
| Music by | Iron Maiden |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Arts Alliance Media EMI D&E Entertainment(US) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes[2] |
| Countries | United Kingdom Canada |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $233,193[3] |
Iron Maiden: Flight 666 is aconcertdocumentary film featuring the Englishheavy metal bandIron Maiden. The film follows the band on the first leg of theirSomewhere Back in Time World Tour in February and March 2008, during which they travelled on their own customisedBoeing 757, Ed Force One, which used the call-sign "666".
Flight 666 is co-produced by Toronto-basedBanger Films, known for their documentariesMetal: A Headbanger's Journey,Global Metal andRush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. The film was shot inhigh-definition video with accompanying 5.1surround sound produced byKevin Shirley (who has worked with the band since their 2000 albumBrave New World). It was distributed by Arts Alliance Media andEMI (except in the US, where it was sub-distributed byD&E Entertainment) in select digital theatres on 21 April 2009.
Iron Maiden: Flight 666 documents the opening leg of the band'sSomewhere Back in Time World Tour, which took place between February and March 2008.[4] During this leg of the tour, the group travelled 50,000 miles (encompassing India, Australia and North and South America) in just 45 days, performing 23 shows in 13 countries to half a million fans.[4][5] To achieve this, the band travelled in their ownBoeing 757, nicknamed "Ed Force One" after the band's mascot,Eddie, and in the style of the U.S. president'sAir Force One, which was specially converted to carry the band, their crew and twelve tonnes of equipment.[5]
The aeroplane was largely piloted by the band's lead singer,Bruce Dickinson, who was then employed byAstraeus Airlines.[6][7] According to Dickinson, who came up with the idea, Ed Force One meant they could visit countries where "The bean counters said it's just not worth going" and allowed them to "do an almost European-type itinerary, but on an inter-continental basis".[7] As a result, the band were able to perform in Costa Rica and Colombia for the first time.[8] The aircraft was flown under the call-sign "666", a reference to their 1982 single "The Number of the Beast", which provided the film's title.[4]
Despite the technical aspects behind the tour, the documentary is predominantly about the group's fans, with Dickinson commenting that "Two-thirds of the film is not about us".[7] Scenes shot in South America are particularly focused on the audiences, whereReuters report that they are "venerated like football stars",[8] whileThe Daily Telegraph state that the film makers "elicit tearful eulogies" from those in Costa Rica and Colombia, then seeing the band for the first time.[4] Dickinson asserts that the band's relationship with their fans is "the real story of Maiden",[9] and the fact that this is the film's primary theme "is the way it should be".[7]
The documentary was written, directed and produced byScot McFadyen andSam Dunn, using their production company,Banger Films.[2][1][8] McFadyen and Dunn requested permission to shoot the film as soon as the tour was announced, which they received with just two months left to prepare.[4] Despite the fact that the film makers had been acquainted with Iron Maiden while working on their first two documentaries, 2005'sMetal: A Headbanger's Journey and 2007'sGlobal Metal, some band members were initially mistrustful of the venture and were wary of having their privacy invaded.[4] Although Dickinson and drummerNicko McBrain were the most comfortable with the filming, bassistSteve Harris and guitaristAdrian Smith took longer to adapt, while guitaristJanick Gers largely ignored the crew until the final week.[8] FollowingIron Maiden: Flight 666, the band worked with Banger Films once again on their 2012 live video,En Vivo!.[10]
The film's world première took place at the Cine Odeon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 14 March 2009, during the final leg of the band'sSomewhere Back in Time World Tour.[11] The UK première took place on 20 April 2009 at the KensingtonOdeon in London.[12] The following night, the film was screened simultaneously on over 450 screens in 41 countries globally.[13] Distributed by Arts Alliance Media andEMI, withD&E Entertainment sub-distributing in the US,[14]Flight 666 was shown in a2Kdigital format, with5.1 surround sound mixed by the band's producer,Kevin Shirley.[15]
The screenings on 21 April were very successful, with Arts Alliance Media reporting that it was the largest simultaneous worldwide release of a documentary film.[14] This led to additional showings in some territories,[14] such as in India, where it was released on 8 May byPVR Pictures,[16] and Australia, where it was screened from 30 April to 6 May.[17][18] At the UK box office, the film grossed £84,276 (US$123,886),[3] while making $74,134 in Australia and $35,173 in RussiaCIS, totalling $233,193 from the three territories tallied.[19]
Flight 666 was welcomed by overwhelmingly positive reviews from the music press and general media. Rock and metal magazinesKerrang! andMetal Hammer each gave the movie full marks, withKerrang! referring to it as a "unique peek behind the Iron Curtain" that was "not to be missed" andMetal Hammer calling it a "continent-jumping, fire-breathing monster of a film".[20][21]Empire gave it 4 stars and felt that the behind the scenes antics were interesting, despite lacking in drama when compared toMetallica: Some Kind of Monster andAnvil! The Story of Anvil, and that the concert footage is "magnificent".[22]
Flight 666 won the "24 Beats Per Second" award for best music documentary at theSXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas,[23]Music DVD of the Year at 2010'sJuno Awards,[24] and Best DVD at the 2009Metal Storm awards.[25]
| Iron Maiden: Flight 666 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video &live album by | ||||
| Released | 22 May 2009 9 June 2009 (North America) | |||
| Recorded | 1 February – 16 March 2008 | |||
| Venue | Various concerts throughout the first leg of theSomewhere Back in Time World Tour | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 112:20 (film)[2] 101:28 (concert)[26] | |||
| Label | EMI UMe (United States) | |||
| Producer | Kevin Shirley (audio) | |||
| Iron Maiden video chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Iron Maiden chronology | ||||
| ||||
Iron Maiden: Flight 666 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 25 May 2009 byEMI.[27] In North America, it was issued on 9 June and byUniversal Music Enterprises in the US.[28] In addition to the documentary film, the video contains the full sixteen song setlist from the Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, with each track recorded at a different venue.[29] Alongside the DVD and Blu-ray, a double CD soundtrack album was released simultaneously, featuring the same track listing as the video concert footage.[30] The DVD and Blu-ray release was particularly successful, peaking at No. 1 in 22 countries including the UK and US.[31]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [32] |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Churchill's Speech" (1 February 2008,Mumbai,India) | 0:43 | ||
| 2. | "Aces High" (1 February 2008, Mumbai, India) | Steve Harris | 1984 ~Powerslave | 4:49 |
| 3. | "2 Minutes to Midnight" (7 February 2008,Melbourne,Australia) | Adrian Smith,Bruce Dickinson | 1984 ~Powerslave | 5:57 |
| 4. | "Revelations" (9 February 2008, Sydney, Australia) | Dickinson | 1983 ~Piece of Mind | 6:28 |
| 5. | "The Trooper" (16 February 2008,Chiba,Japan) | Harris | 1983 ~Piece of Mind | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Wasted Years" (22 February 2008,Monterrey,Mexico) | Smith | 1986 ~Somewhere in Time | 5:07 |
| 7. | "The Number of the Beast" (19 February 2008,Inglewood,United States) | Harris | 1982 ~The Number of the Beast | 5:07 |
| 8. | "Can I Play With Madness" (24 February 2008,Mexico City, Mexico) | Smith, Dickinson, Harris | 1988 ~Seventh Son of a Seventh Son | 3:36 |
| 9. | "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (14 March 2008,East Rutherford, United States) | Harris | 1984 ~Powerslave | 13:41 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Powerslave" (26 February 2008,San José,Costa Rica) | Dickinson | 1984 ~Powerslave | 7:28 |
| 2. | "Heaven Can Wait" (2 March 2008,São Paulo,Brazil) | Harris | 1986 ~Somewhere in Time | 7:35 |
| 3. | "Run to the Hills" (28 February 2008,Bogotá,Colombia) | Harris | 1982 ~The Number of the Beast | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Fear of the Dark" (7 March 2008,Buenos Aires,Argentina) | Harris | 1992 ~Fear of the Dark | 7:32 |
| 5. | "Iron Maiden" (9 March 2008,Santiago,Chile) | Harris | 1980 ~Iron Maiden | 5:26 |
| 6. | "Moonchild" (12 March 2008,San Juan,Puerto Rico) | Smith, Dickinson | 1988 ~Seventh Son of a Seventh Son | 7:29 |
| 7. | "The Clairvoyant" (4 March 2008,Curitiba, Brazil) | Harris | 1988 ~Seventh Son of a Seventh Son | 4:38 |
| 8. | "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (16 March 2008,Toronto,Canada) | Harris | 1982 ~The Number of the Beast | 7:52 |
| Total length: | 101:28 | |||
Album[edit]
| Video[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[68] | Gold | 40,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF)[69] | Platinum | 8,000^ |
| Australia (ARIA)[70] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[71] | 5× Platinum | 50,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[72] | Gold | 6,046[72] |
| France (SNEP)[73] | Platinum | 15,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[74] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[75] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[76] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Production and performance credits are adapted from the Blu-ray, DVD and soundtrack album liner notes.[2][26][77]
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