You can click on the image to enlarge it. Clayton looks a little tipsy - but those glasses look damn good! Nice design Bono.
Time to check these guys out in RealD - I have already seen "U2 3D" in IMAX when it was initially released but now that the wide release is happening... Well, let's just say the movie deserves AT LEAST two viewings. I don't often say that.
Thanks for the image Gina! Send 'em if ya got 'em!!
RealD announced yesterday that they had brought the 3D concert movie "U2 3D"home to Dublin; the band originated from that wonderful Irish city. The movie made its European premiere at Parnell Street's Cineworld on the 20th as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. Echoing the Sundance premiere, the band showed up in their RealD 3D glasses, customized this time though - as they were designed by Bono - and all the fans who attended also landed these! If there is anyone in the world who knows cool shades - its Bono.
With the Hannah Montana craze dying down now from a frenzy to mere chaos, "U2 3D" should be in wide release very shortly. Some Real D engagements have already started in North America after its January limited run. If you have not seen "U2 3D" yet, seriously consider it. You can check out more details about the movie as an event from my Facebook group: 3D Movies and Technology. Thanks Gina for bringing this to my attention!
The wide release of U23D has been delayed in some markets from February 15th to the 22nd while at the same time Disneyextended Hannah Montana's "Best Of Both Worlds" concert movie by at least a week and giving an option for theater chains to keep it even longer if the demand exists.
There are only so many 3D enabled theaters that have been converted (between 800 and 900 currently) so a lot of negotiations must take place for what films get that capacity - demand counts. With the reviews U23D has been getting, the response should be overwhelming - just like Montana's was.
Let's hope everyone gets their fair allotment of time in the 3D theaters. I'm sure they will - interesting to watch!
Guys check out the cool new videos from U23D - they have hidden them within the U23D widget! New interviews, footage from Sundance and of course some stage action is all there.Here is the steps to take to view:
1. Go to the widget hosted here on MarketSaw. 2. Click on the U23D logo on the top left corner of it and hold it for at least 3 seconds. 3. When you release the click, you will be prompted for a code: type in U23D. 4. Enjoy!
You can also download the code to host your own widget on your site here.
I'm definitely going to see the concert movie again. U23D opens in wide release February 15th!This will include Real D 3D theaters. It honestly felt like an experience and not a movie. I look back on the film and it felt like I was really there and not just thinking about what happened in a movie. For my initial impressions of U23D check out my review.
Needless to say lots of excitement in the 3D world with the Hannah Montana show rolling into town with yet another round of sold out venues - this time movie theaters and of course the rousing critical acclaim of U23D.
Topping all this off is the growing story about the director(s) of the Hobbit(s) and whether or not Peter Jackson and New Line finally announce their intention to produce these movies in 3D.
Yes, lots to write about, yet I have been extremely sick with the flu since Monday night! Sorry for the delay in posts but I will endeavor to get back in the drivers seat here ASAP.
You know when you wake up from a great dream and you want to go right back asleep to where you left off? That is what it feels like at the closing credits of U23D.
The movie is seriously like a dream state. One moment you are part of the audience (and I mean really part of the audience - the guys heads in front of you in the theater BLEND into the heads of the concert viewers; in fact on more than one occasion I briefly thought why is this person standing and waving in the theater?!) and then you are moved to the stage looking back at 100,000 screaming fans as if you were a rock star (and you actually feel like you are on stage - no joke. You feel like a rock star). Sounds corny huh? Not when you are experiencing it, believe me.
Most of the time however you are hovering around the concert like some sort of omnipotent being, witnessing a sea of humanity being entertained by one of the greatest bands of all time. I am a U2 fan, so I am biased; but I place only The Beatles ahead of U2. That says something as I am also a die hard Led Zeppelin fan. In my eyes they have surpassed Led Zep through longevity and sheer music catalog.
The best part about the movie is that it was real. No CGI (other than nicely done touch ups for effects) and the mass of Argentinians were so very NOT Beowulf. If you were confused as to what a 3D movie is after seeing Beowulf, do yourself a huge favor and see U23D. It was nice to see the pure randomness of a crowd of 100,000 that still somehow managed to move in synch to the music. CGI is not that good yet. Soon but not yet. The movie keeps getting better as it unfolds - closeups simply rock.
The movie makes me think what do we have in store for us from someone like James Cameron and his Sci-Fi "Avatar". If you take the pure experience of it and add in the flexibility that Cameron will have with his Weta team, the possibilities are endless. This is the guy that gave us Aliens and The Terminator. He has the vision. My God, "Avatar" will own the box office for a long time. Mark my words right now. "Titanic" may sink to second place for the all time record.
That being said, U23D stands up as its own masterpiece. It simply rocks in what it is - a concert. The bar has been set extremely high for other bands to follow. But follow they will because in this day and age of free Internet music, the entertainers have got to make their money somehow - theater concerts will become a big piece of it I believe. I have said it before - people will pay a premium to see a live 3D theater concert that has been sold out or that is not available in smaller cities. Then they will pay a normal amount to see the concert after the fact. This coupled with the actual revenue from the concerts themselves will bring in great rewards for the musicians.
This is the beginning of an era folks. Consider yourself lucky to have witnessed it. Get yourself to the theater and check out U23D - tell 'em Jim at MarketSaw sent you. That and the cost of admission will get you in...
I am checking out U23D tonight thanks to my friends at Empire Theatres IMAX. I will have a review up TOMORROW - stay tuned!
If you do not have an IMAX near you, the wide release will be in February and will include Real D theaters. I will post this list of theaters when I have it.
For now, you can refer to my list of 3D theaters here.
Reports are coming in from the Sundance premiere that the movie is simply a spectacle, a must see even if you are not a U2 fan, and the 3D rocks. Apparently as the movie advances, the 3D effects keep getting better with more and more innovation.
I will be finally checking U23D out shortly courtesy of my local Empire IMAX theater chain. Can't wait!
Well I guess the auction was right on the money - Bono and U2 did show up at the premiere screening of U23D at Sundance. Bill over at Summit Pacific said the Al Gore showed up too but the response to him paled in comparison to the Irish rockers. Kinda funny - but it is their show to be fair. Wish I could have been there!
Apparently Robert Redford was at the showing as well and was suitably awed by the technology.
Maybe it was worth $600+ for a pair of scalped tickets? Hmmm. Maybe.
At the time of this post, an eBay seller has recieved a bid of $610 for his pair of U23D tickets to the premiere at Sundance!
His big marketing ploy?U2MIGHT be there. Might. He says: "I can make no guarantee that Bono / U2 will attend the Sundance screening, but Bono & the band have been to Sundance before, and The Edge owns a house nearby)"
On the other end of the scale there is this nugget:
They wouldn't be lookin' to flip these would they? Nahhhhh...
Well to each their own but there seems to be a very ample market for these 3D movie theater tickets. One thing is for sure, the place will be rockin'.
I have been getting quite a few emails asking about when and where the U23D movie will be playing - here is the confirmed update:
U23D will be playing in 25 IMAX Theaters ONLY for the January 23rd release date. Look for a wide release in the rapidly growing REAL D theaters later in February. You can find your local IMAX theater that is playing host to the movie here.
I can see why they are launching with IMAX as their sound is far superior to any other theater venue and it is going to sound awesome! Of course large screens add to the immersion.
For a great review of the U23D movie, check out this from my friend Alex Billington over at First Showing.
I think one of the greatest opportunities for 3D enabled theaters is going to be LIVE 3D events - musicals, sports, etc. with discounted re-broadcastings of the original in the following days after the LIVE event. Music stars would be able to fully leverage what is turning out to be one of the few remaining revenue opportunities from their music - concerts. Charge prime rates to view a concert LIVE, then reduce the rates for subsequent viewings. Sold out markets or markets that are too small to attract big names would benefit a great deal. Remember, with online sharing, music sales are dropping dramatically. Everybody wins with my scenario outlined above.
Would love to hear your comments on such a strategy for the music industry.
Hey good news U2 and 3D fans! The boys from Ireland have pushed their release date to January 23rd from January 25th and man oh man is the excitement mounting. I can't tell you how many emails I have received asking questions about the movie and where it will be made available. Rest assured U2 fans, I will have an updated list of 3D theaters that are playing host to the film VERY SOON. I will post immediately so look for it daily.
Check out the movie trailer here. And see their list of songs here.
Well the excitement is mounting! For all of you out there that are thinking that all things 3D look and feel like Beowulf - think again. 3ality, National Geographic and U2 are releasing their Digital 3D concert movie January 23rd, 2008 and here is a brand new teaser trailer for it! Look for more interactivity from this widget in the coming weeks. Check. It. Out.
U23D is coming to theaters January 23rd, 2008. One of the world's biggest acts is coming to town in a way you have never seen before: A 3D concert at your local theater!
U23D is the first live action 3D concert film ever created. Digital 3D vision and surround sound immerses the audience within the band on stage - Variety calls it "Exuberant" and Esquire says it's "Transcendent".
Here is the list of songs that Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. will play during the 90 minute 3D concert movie event:
“Pride (In the Name of Love),” “New Year’s Day,”“Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “Miss Sarajevo,” “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “With or Without You,” “Fly” and “One,” as well as more recent tracks such as “Beautiful Day,” “Vertigo,” “Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own,” “Love and Peace or Else”, "Bullet the Blue Sky" (Thanks Traci!) and “Yahweh.”
You can count me there opening night. I saw their Rattle and Hum concert in 2D and of course loved it. I have followed U2 since the early days when nobody knew who they were. And Bono went by "Bono Vox"!
They wouldn't be lookin' to flip these would they? Nahhhhh...
