Iron Maiden: Flight 666

, 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. 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. To achieve this, the band travelled in their own Boeing 757, nicknamed "Ed Force One" after the band's mascot, Eddie, and in the style of the U.S. president's Air Force One, which was specially converted to carry the band, their crew and twelve tonnes of equipment. As a result, the band were able to perform in Costa Rica and Colombia for the first time. 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. and the fact that this is the film's primary theme "is the way it should be". == 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. The UK première took place on 20 April 2009 at the Kensington Odeon in London. The following night, the film was screened simultaneously on over 450 screens in 41 countries globally. Distributed by Arts Alliance Media and EMI, with D&E Entertainment sub-distributing in the US, Flight 666 was shown in a 2K digital format, with 5.1 surround sound mixed by the band's producer, Kevin Shirley. 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. and Australia, where it was screened from 30 April to 6 May. At the UK box office, the film grossed £84,276 (US$123,886), while making $74,134 in Australia and $35,173 in Russia CIS, totalling $233,193 from the three territories tallied. ==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". Empire gave it 4 stars and felt that the behind the scenes antics were interesting, despite lacking in drama when compared to Metallica: Some Kind of Monster and Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and that the concert footage is "magnificent". Flight 666 won the "24 Beats Per Second" award for best music documentary at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, Music DVD of the Year at 2010's Juno Awards, and Best DVD at the 2009 Metal Storm awards. ==Home media==

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

Album Video ==Certifications==

Production and performance credits are adapted from the Blu-ray, DVD and soundtrack album liner notes. ;Iron Maiden • Bruce Dickinson – vocals • Dave Murray – guitars • Janick Gers – guitars • Adrian Smith – guitars, backing vocals • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals, co-producer (concert audio) • Nicko McBrain – drums ;Additional musician • Michael Kenney – keyboards ;Film production • Scot McFadyen – producer, writer, director • Sam Dunn – producer, writer, director, narrator • Rod Smallwood – executive producer, band manager • Stefan Demetriou – executive producer • Andy Taylor – executive producer, band manager • Victoria Hirst – co-producer • Martin Hawkes – director of photography • Lisa Grooten Boer – editor • Wendy Hallum Martin – editor • Mike Munn – editor ;Concert audio production • Kevin Shirley – producer, mixing • Jared Kvitka – assistant • Ryan Smith – mastering • Dave Pattenden – live audio recording • Ian Walsh – assistant • Johnny Burke – assistant • Tony Newton – assistant ;Additional personnel • Peacock – art director, design • John McMurtrie – photography • Hangman – stage design ==References==