Iron Maiden: Flight 666

Iron Maiden: Flight 666
Directed by Scot McFadyen
Sam Dunn
Produced by Scot McFadyen
Sam Dunn
Written by Scot McFadyen
Sam Dunn
Starring Iron Maiden
Music by Iron Maiden
Cinematography Martin Hawkes
Edited by Lisa Grootenboer
Wendy Hallam Martin
Mike Munn
Production
company
Banger Films[1]
Phantom Music Management[1]
EMI[1]
Distributed by Arts Alliance Media, EMI
D&E Entertainment (US)
Release dates
  • 21 April 2009 (2009-04-21)
Running time
 113 minutes[2]
Country United Kingdom
Canada
Language English
Box office £84,276 (UK)[3]
US$74,134 (Australia)[4]
US$35,173 (Russia CIS)[4]

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 is a concert documentary film featuring the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The film follows the band on the first leg of their Somewhere Back in Time World Tour between February and March 2008, during which they travelled on their own customised Boeing 757, Ed Force One, which used the call-sign "666".

Flight 666 is co-produced by Toronto-based Banger Films, known for their documentaries Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Global Metal and Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. The film was shot in high-definition video with accompanying 5.1 surround sound produced by Kevin Shirley (who has worked with the band since their 2000 album Brave New World). It was distributed by Arts Alliance Media and EMI (except in the US, where it was sub-distributed by D&E Entertainment) in select digital theatres on 21 April 2009.

Synopsis and background

Ed Force One, Iron Maiden's personalised Boeing 757, was used as transport for their tour and features prominently in the film

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 documents the opening leg of the band's Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, which took place between February and March 2008.[5] 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.[5][6] To achieve this, the band travelled in their own Boeing 757, nicknamed "Ed Force One" after the band's mascot, Eddie, which was specially converted to carry the band, their crew and twelve tonnes of equipment.[6]

The aeroplane was largely piloted by the band's lead singer, Bruce Dickinson, who was then employed by Astraeus Airlines.[7][8] 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 an on inter-continental basis".[8] As a result, the band were able to perform in Costa Rica and Colombia for the first time.[9] 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.[5]

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".[8] Scenes shot in South America are particularly focused on the audiences, where Reuters report that they are "venerated like football stars",[9] while The 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.[5] Dickinson asserts that the band's relationship with their fans is "the real story of Maiden",[10] and the fact that this is the film's primary theme "is the way it should be".[8]

The documentary was written, directed and produced by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, using their production company, Banger Films.[2][1][9] 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.[5] Despite the fact that the film makers had been acquainted with Iron Maiden while working on their first two documentaries, 2005's Metal: A Headbanger's Journey and 2007's Global Metal, some band members were initially mistrustful of the venture and were wary of having their privacy invaded.[5] Although Dickinson and drummer Nicko McBrain were the most comfortable with the filming, bassist Steve Harris and guitarist Adrian Smith took longer to adapt, while guitarist Janick Gers largely ignored the crew until the final week.[9] Following Iron Maiden: Flight 666, the band worked with Banger Films once again on their 2012 live video, En Vivo!.[11]

Theatrical showings

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's Somewhere Back in Time World Tour.[12] The UK première took place on 20 April 2009 at the Kensington Odeon in London.[13] The following night, the film was screened simultaneously on over 450 screens in 41 countries globally.[14] Distributed by Arts Alliance Media and EMI, with D&E Entertainment sub-distributing in the US,[15] Flight 666 was shown in a 2K digital format, with 5.1 surround sound mixed by the band's producer, Kevin Shirley.[16]

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.[15] This led to additional showings in some territories,[15] such as in India, where it was released on 8 May by PVR Pictures,[17] and Australia, where it was screened from 30 April to 6 May.[18][19] At the UK box office, the film grossed £84,276 (US$123,886),[3] while making $74,134 in Australia and $35,173 in Russia CIS, totalling $233,193 from the three territories tallied.[4]

Reception

Flight 666 was welcomed by overwhelmingly positive reviews from the music press and general media. Rock and metal magazines Kerrang! and Metal Hammer each gave the movie full marks, with Kerrang! referring to it as a "unique peek behind the Iron Curtain" that was "not to be missed" and Metal Hammer calling it a "continent-jumping, fire-breathing monster of a film".[20][21] Outside the music media, The Sun gave it 4.5 out of 5, calling it an "outstanding Access All Areas documentary" and going on to say that "if you're not a fan, you will be after this".[22] Empire gave it 4 stars and felt that the behind the scenes antics were interesting, despite lacking in drama when compared to Metallica's Some Kind of Monster and Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and that the concert footage is "magnificent".[23]

Flight 666 won the "24 Beats Per Second" award for best music documentary at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas,[24] Music DVD of the Year at 2010's Juno Awards,[25] and Best DVD at the 2009 Metal Storm awards.[26]

Home media

Iron Maiden: Flight 666
Video & live album by Iron Maiden
Released 22 May 2009
9 June 2009 (North America)
Recorded 1 February - 16 March 2008
Venue Various concerts throughout the first leg of the Somewhere Back in Time World Tour
Genre Heavy metal
Length 113 approx. (film)[2]
101:28 (concert)[27]
Label EMI
UMe (United States)
Producer

Kevin Shirley (audio)

Iron Maiden video chronology
Live After Death
(2008)		 Iron Maiden: Flight 666
(2009)		 En Vivo!
(2012)
Iron Maiden live albums chronology
Death on the Road
(2005)		 Flight 666 - The Original Soundtrack
(2009)		 En Vivo!
(2012)

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 25 May 2009 by EMI.[28] In North America, it was issued on 9 June and by Universal Music Enterprises in the US.[29] 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.[30] Alongside the DVD and Blu-ray, a double CD soundtrack album was released simultaneously, featuring the same track listing as the video concert footage.[31] The DVD and Blu-ray release was particularly successful, peaking at No. 1 in 22 countries including the UK and US.[32]

Soundtrack and concert footage track listing

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[33]
Disc One
No. TitleWriter(s)City Length
1. "Churchill's Speech"   Mumbai, India; 1 February 2008 0:43
2. "Aces High" (from Powerslave, 1984)Steve HarrisMumbai, India; 1 February 2008 4:49
3. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (from Powerslave, 1984)Adrian Smith, Bruce DickinsonMelbourne, Australia; 7 February 2008 5:57
4. "Revelations" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)DickinsonSydney, Australia; 9 February 2008 6:28
5. "The Trooper" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)HarrisTokyo, Japan; 16 February 2008 4:01
6. "Wasted Years" (from Somewhere in Time, 1986)SmithMonterrey, Mexico; 22 February 2008 5:07
7. "The Number of the Beast" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)HarrisLos Angeles, USA; 19 February 2008 5:07
8. "Can I Play with Madness" (from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)Dickinson, Smith, HarrisMexico City, Mexico; 24 February 2008 3:36
9. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (from Powerslave, 1984)HarrisNew Jersey, USA; 14 March 2008 13:41
Disc Two
No. TitleWriter(s)Concert Length
1. "Powerslave" (from Powerslave, 1984)DickinsonSan José, Costa Rica; 26 February 2008 7:28
2. "Heaven Can Wait" (from Somewhere in Time, 1986)HarrisSão Paulo, Brazil; 2 March 2008 7:35
3. "Run to the Hills" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)HarrisBogotá, Colombia; 28 February 2008 3:59
4. "Fear of the Dark" (from Fear of the Dark, 1992)HarrisBuenos Aires, Argentina; 7 March 2008 7:32
5. "Iron Maiden" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)HarrisSantiago, Chile; 9 March 2008 5:26
6. "Moonchild" (from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)Smith, DickinsonSan Juan, Puerto Rico; 12 March 2008 7:29
7. "The Clairvoyant" (from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)HarrisCuritiba, Brazil; 4 March 2008 4:38
8. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)HarrisToronto, Canada; 16 March 2008 7:52
Total length:
 101:28

Charts

Video

Region Charts (2009) Peak
position
Arabia Arabian Music DVD Charts[34] 1
Australia ARIA Charts[34] 1
Austria Ö3 Austria Top 10 DVD[35] 1
Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop[36][37] 1
Belgium (Wallonia) 3
Canada Canadian Music DVD Charts[34] 1
Czech Republic IFPI ČR[38] 1
Denmark Tracklisten[39] 1
Finland The Official Finnish Charts[40] 1
France SNEP[41] 3
Germany Media Control Charts[42] 7
Hungary Mahasz[43] 3
India Indian Music DVD Charts[34] 1
Indian DVD Charts[34] 6
Ireland IRMA[34] 1
Italy FIMI[34] 1
Mexico AMPROFON[34] 1
Netherlands MegaCharts[44] 3
New Zealand RIANZ[34] 1
Norway VG-lista[45] 1
Poland Polish Music Charts[34] 1
Portugal AFP[34] 2
Spain PROMUSICAE[46] 2
Sweden Sverigetopplistan[47] 1
Switzerland Swiss Hitparade[48] 1
United Kingdom UK Music Video Charts[32] 1
United States Billboard charts[49] 1

Album

Country Chart (2009) Peak
position
Austria Ö3 Austria Top 40 36[50]
Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 34[51]
Belgium (Wallonia) 51[52]
Finland The Official Finnish Charts 14[53]
France SNEP 30[54]
Germany Media Control Charts 6[55]
Mexico Top 100 Mexico 30[56]
Netherlands MegaCharts 50[57]
Norway VG-lista 22[58]
Spain PROMUSICAE 33[59]
Sweden Sverigetopplistan 25[60]
Switzerland Swiss Hitparade 24[61]
United Kingdom Official Albums Chart 15[62]
United States Billboard 200 34[63]
Country Chart (2010) Peak
position
France SNEP 143[54]
Greece IFPI Greece 46[64]
Mexico Top 100 Mexico 59[56]
Spain PROMUSICAE 70[59]
Country Chart (2011) Peak
position
Spain PROMUSICAE 73[59]

Certifications

Album
Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[65] Gold 40,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Video
Region Certification Sales/shipments
Argentina (CAPIF)[66] Platinum 8,000x
Australia (ARIA)[67] Platinum 15,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[68] 5× Platinum 50,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[69] Gold 6,046[69]
France (SNEP)[70] Platinum 15,000*
Germany (BVMI)[71] Platinum 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[72] Gold 2,500x
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[74] Platinum 100,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Credits

Production and performance credits are adapted from the Blu-ray, DVD and soundtrack album liner notes.[2][27][75]

Iron Maiden
Additional musicians
Film production
Concert audio production
Additional personnel

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Iron Maiden Flight 666 Movie Wins Award; Theater Dates Announced". Guitar World. 25 March 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Iron Maiden: Flight 666 DVD (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 25 May 2009.
  3. 1 2 "United Kingdom Box Office 24–26 April 2009". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "Iron Maiden: Flight 666". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sweeting, Adam (15 April 2009). "Flight 666 - Iron Maiden documentary". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 Michaels, Sean (21 January 2009). "Iron Maiden to release tour documentary". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Burrell, Ian (9 March 2009). "Flight 666, Iron Maiden performing at a cinema near you". The Independent. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Greene, Andy (25 June 2009). "Iron Maiden's Flight 666 : Bruce Dickinson on Airborne Adventure". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Goodman, Dean (15 April 2009). "Iron Maiden flying to cinemas with Flight 666". Los Angeles: Reuters. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  10. ↑ Bezer, Terry (6 April 2009). "Iron Maiden: Flight 666 Exclusive!". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on 9 April 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "Iron Maiden: Details Of Buenos Aires, Santiago DVD Shoot Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  12. ↑ "Iron Maiden's Flight 666 Takes Off At Rio Premiere". Blabbermouth.net. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Town rock star's big-screen debut". Sunderland Echo. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  14. ↑ Smith, Matt (21 April 2009). "Award Winning Iron Maiden Film Hits Cinemas". Sky News. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 "Iron Maiden's Flight 666 Was Biggest-Ever Worldwide Simultaneous Release Of Documentary Film". Blabbermouth.net. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Cracknell, Nick (5 February 2009). "Iron Maiden: The Movie!". MusicRadar. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  17. ↑ "Iron Maiden: Flight 666". Daily News and Analysis. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  18. ↑ "Bruce Dickinson Talks Flight 666 Documentary - "...All We Did Was Be In It"". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "The Iron Maiden movie". Brisbane Times. 23 April 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  20. ↑ Milas, Alexander (21 April 2009). "Flight 666 Reviews". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  21. ↑ Ruskell, Nick. "Iron Maiden - Flight 666 DVD". Kerrang!: 55. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  22. ↑ "Maiden Voyage". The Sun. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  23. ↑ "Iron Maiden: Flight 666". Empire. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  24. ↑ Bezer, Terry (23 March 2009). "SXSW award for Flight 666". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  25. ↑ "Juno Winners - 2010 Gala Dinner & Awards". Juno Awards. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  26. ↑ "Metal Storm 2009 winners". Metal Storm. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  27. 1 2 Flight 666 - The Original Soundtrack (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 25 May 2009.
  28. ↑ Bezer, Terry (15 April 2009). "Iron Maiden Release Flight 666 DVD Details". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 15 January 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  29. ↑ "Iron Maiden: Flight 666 Available in the USA 9 June on Blu-ray, 2-DVD Set and Live Soundtrack Album". Bloomberg L.P. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  30. ↑ Graff, Gary (15 April 2009). "Iron Maiden's Flight 666 Doc Takes Off". Billboard. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  31. ↑ Smith, Jamie (15 April 2009). "Iron Maiden film to get DVD release". MusicRadar. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  32. 1 2 Bezer, Terry (18 June 2009). "Iron Maiden Hit Number One in Over 20 Countries". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  33. ↑ Monger, James. Iron Maiden - Flight 666 at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Iron Maiden's Flight 666 is a Global Smash". Blabbermouth.net. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  35. ↑ "Austria Top 40 - Musik-DVD Top 10 05.06.2009". Ö3 Austria Top 40 (in German). Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  36. ↑ [DVD&cat=a "Iron Maiden - Flight 666"] (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  37. ↑ [DVD&cat=a "Iron Maiden - Flight 666"] (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  38. ↑ "IFPI ČR Hitparáda - TOP 20 Hudební video Týden - 200922" (in Czech). IFPI. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  39. ↑ "Musik DVD Top-10 Uge 22 - 2009" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  40. ↑ "Suomen virallinen lista - Musiikki DVD:t 22/2009" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  41. ↑ "Top DVD Musicaux en France le 25 mai 2009". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (in French). ChartsinFrance.net. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  42. ↑ "Touring Music Video press". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  43. ↑ "Mahasz DVD Top 20 lista 2009. 22. hét" (in Hungarian). Association of Hungarian Record Companies. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  44. ↑ "Dutch DVD Music Top 30 06/06/2009". MegaCharts (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  45. ↑ "Topp 10 DVD Audio - Uke 23 2009" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  46. ↑ "Top 20 DVD Musical Semana 2: del 25.05.2009 al 31.05.2009" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  47. ↑ "Veckolista DVD Album - Vecka 23, 5 juni 2009" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  48. ↑ "Schweizer Hitparade - Musik-DVD Top 10 07.06.2009" (in German). Swiss Hitparade. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  49. ↑ "No. 1 on the Charts". Billboard 121: 5. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  50. ↑ "Discographie Iron Maiden". Ö3 Austria Top 40 (in German). Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  51. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Flight 666" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  52. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Flight 666" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  53. ↑ "Discography Iron Maiden". The Official Finnish Charts. Finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  54. 1 2 "Iron Maiden - Flight 666 (album)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (in French). Lescharts.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  55. ↑ "Iron Maiden > Longplay-Chartverfolgung". Musicline.de (in German). PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  56. 1 2 "Iron Maiden - Flight 666 (album)". Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Mexicancharts.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  57. ↑ "Discografie Iron Maiden" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  58. ↑ "Discography Iron Maiden". VG-lista. Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  59. 1 2 3 "Iron Maiden - Flight 666 (album)". Productores de Música de España. Spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  60. ↑ "Discography Iron Maiden". Sverigetopplistan. Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  61. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Flight 666". Swiss Hitparade. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  62. ↑ "Official UK Albums Archive 6 June 2009". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  63. ↑ "Iron Maiden- Billboard 200 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  64. ↑ "Iron Maiden - Flight 666 (album)". IFPI Greece. Greekcharts.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  65. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Iron Maiden – Flight 666". Music Canada. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  66. ↑ "Argentinian video certifications – Iron Maiden – Flight 666". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  67. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 DVDs". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  68. ↑ "Canadian video certifications – Iron Maiden – Flight 666". Music Canada. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  69. 1 2 "Iron Maiden" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  70. ↑ "French video certifications – Iron Maiden – Flight 666" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 21 December 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  71. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Iron Maiden; 'Flight 666')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  72. ↑ "New Zealand video certifications – Iron Maiden – Flight 666". Recorded Music NZ. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  73. ↑ "British video certifications – Iron Maiden – Flight 666". British Phonographic Industry. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013. Enter Flight 666 in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select DVD in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  74. ↑ "American video certifications – Iron Maiden – Flight 666". Recording Industry Association of America. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2013. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Video Longform, then click SEARCH
  75. ↑ Iron Maiden: Flight 666 Blu-ray (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 25 May 2009.

External links

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